The Fates of Time
by MitchMyester
Summary: Hyrule was saved from Cia. Time had finally become balanced once again, but there was one portal which had remained untouched by Lana, for fear of the evil which hadn't returned to its time. Vaati, the wind mage, obtained Majora's Mask, and Link and Lana had to travel through time and space to stop him. Rated T for violence and dark themes. Usually updates every month.
1. Chapter 1: War and Honor

**This first chapter is basically a novelization of "Shining Beacon" from the Hyrule Warriors story mode. A lot of these first three chapters take a lot of direct quotes from the game itself to keep it as true to the original source material as possible, but I added a lot of dialogue to build up Lana's personality, as it is set in her point of view for these chapters.**

 **The portion in this chapter that is completely unique is what happens with Volga, which builds up more of the character for later scenes in the story, as I believe Volga to be a character worth having a part in a greater story. One could skip this chapter entirely, or at least go to the end for the scene with Volga, and it would still be clear for the next few chapters. This chapter was meant solely to introduce characters, especially to those who are unfamiliar with the story of Hyrule Warriors.**

 **Unlike many of the fanfictions which I have read, the romance between Link and Lana will not come to fruition until much later in the story. The story is about the development of their feelings towards each other. Lana at the beginning has already given up hope that she and Link can ever be together, but as fate would have it, their lives change as nobody could have guessed.**

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"We have entered the Valley of Seers, but our forces are split between the east and west," said Zelda. She was the beautiful princess of Hyrule, and at this great time of turmoil she led her people in war against the dark sorceress, Cia. She was clad in what could best be described as a battle dress, an outfit still befitting of a princess, yet clearly intended for use in battle. She wielded a very eloquent looking rapier at the head of an army of gorons and Hyrulean soldiers. Lana had admired her across all of the gates of Time, from the time Zelda was a goddess to this very day where Lana had the opportunity to fight alongside one of her many reincarnations.

Lana was a sorceress herself, who wore a mage's outfit which was very playful and free, lined with blue and silver tailings. She had light blue hair and deep purple eyes. She, Zelda, and many of their allies were now gathered at her home at the Valley of Seers for one final battle with Cia, the dark sorceress who had opened the Gates of Time and caused Hyrule to be caught in a place which was completely mixed in time. Lana had a personal responsibility to ensure that Hyrule was safe from Cia. After all, Cia was indeed Lana herself, though she was simply her half which expelled Lana to rid herself of good.

Lana looked around at all of her allies here in the dreadful landscape of the Valley of Seers. From across time, they had gathered some of the most legendary of all warriors and heroes, and even some who it was questionable whether they should've been there or not. Darunia, the ancient goron chief who personally assisted the Hero of Time in saving Hyrule from the dragon, Volvagia. Princess Ruto of the ancient Zora tribe, who also became a sage of Hyrule in the days of the same Hero. Then there was Impa, the Sheikah tribe's top soldier and aid to Princess Zelda, who wielded a massive sword, bigger than her entire body. Some of their other allies were across the battlefield. Last of all was the reincarnated Hero himself.

Lana had looked into the Gate of Souls her entire life (though at the time, she was part of Cia), and admired no one person as she admired the Hero across time. In fact, that is what this entire war was found on, Cia's obsession with being with the Hero and controlling the world. Lana had inherited this desire to be with the Hero, but controlled these desires and used them for good.

However, every time she looked at Link, she couldn't help but feel so in love with him. He was holding the legendary Master Sword in his hand, the Triforce of Courage gleaming on the back of said hand. He was clad in a green tunic and a silly green hat, and he wore a blue scarf with the Hylian Crest stitched into it.

"Link!" Lana shouted to him as the enemy forces began to amass in front of her old home. He looked at her with his blue eyes. "Be careful. Cia will do anything to keep her power, and she won't show you or Zelda any mercy."

Link nodded at her as his fairy companion, Proxi, hovered by his head. "Don't worry, Lana! Link will be okay as long as he has the Master Sword!" said Proxi.

Lana saw the ageless connection between the Hero and the Princess, who always worked together to save the world from evil. Lana envied Zelda, as the only desire in her heart was to have that same role alongside Link. Lana noticed the look in Link's eyes every time he looked at Zelda. He was in love with her, probably as much as Lana was in love with him. Zelda seemed to share similar feelings towards him, but it wasn't as clear.

"The darkness courses through my veins… The Hyrulean Forces are but playthings to me!" laughed Cia. Her cruel voice echoed across the entire battlefield, amplified by a magic power.

Lana walked towards Link, Zelda, and Impa, with her Sealing Tome in her hands. The Sealing Tome was Lana's magical book of spells that she used in her combat and support.

"Cia has the Triforce of Power," said Impa, looking around at her comrades. She had dark skin and white hair, a strand of which reached down to her waist. She was wearing traditional Sheikah tribe armor. "This is not a battle easily one. The power of darkness has a long connection to the Triforce of Power; its history is indeed a bloody one."

"The Triforce of Power is indeed a force to be reckoned with," said Zelda, "but it has been overcome by the Triforce of Courage time and time again."

"It's true!" said Lana. She had seen it with her own eyes, all the times the Hero had overcome evil with that Triforce. She also had seen it fail and create a different time entirely, but felt it best not to tell them. In their time, the Triforce had never failed.

"Don't worry," said Link, "I'll take care of it."

They turned towards the horde of moblins and bokoblins that were making their way towards them, all brandishing swords and clubs of all kinds. Lana walked ahead of the group and unleashed a spell of lightning that devastated the first wave of attackers. As soon as the dust cleared in the purple night light, there was another wave bigger than the last advancing on them.

"The sanctums have been taken over, locking their power away!" shouted Lana across the field. "That's the monsters' secret!" These sanctums were sacred places within the Valley of Seers that had a power that nullified evil. They weren't as powerful as the Triforce, but if they wanted to win, they had to use the sacred power.

"If we make for the sanctum, we can take back the sacred power!" shouted Zelda.

"By the end of this battle," said Impa, "Cia will be no more… May we bring glory to Hyrule!" Impa led a battalion of Hyrulean soldiers towards the advancing foes. She began to cut them all down almost effortlessly, launching magical water attacks coupled with sword strikes all around them. The path was clear for Link and Zelda to go to the first sanctum.

"Do you see from where the evil power rises?" asked Zelda. "A sanctum must be located there." There was a purple cloud of darkness which escaped in a pillar from the ground, surrounded by large walls and enemies. That was to the west. To the east there was another just like it, which Lana decided to head towards.

 _I think I'm forgetting something,_ she thought as she blasted her way through crowds of bokoblins with wind magic. She continued with Darunia towards the pillar of darkness to the east. Darunia had an extremely large hammer and was using it to mow enemies down in front of him. He even made short work of a darknut as Lana took on a lizalfos, destroying him with a glasslike wave of magic.

"It's cute how you all believe you can defeat me… But I won't find it cute much longer!" shouted Cia. She was clearly enraged at the attack that was taking place on her own doorstep.

Knowing that Cia was using her power to strengthen her troops, Lana began to worry about the safety of Link and Zelda, but she had to keep going to the East Sanctum.

"Don't worry," said Darunia, noticing the look on Lana's face as he smashed the head of a fat moblin. "My brother will be fine." Darunia called anyone he respected 'brother.' That was the goron way. Lana nodded at him with a new smile on her face as she zapped a small group of bokoblins who were trying to sneak up on Darunia. They continued to run to the sanctum.

"Still not satisfied? I've given this next batch of troops a bit of…an enhancement," said Cia, tauntingly. Some of the enemies began to have a sickly red glow about them, and they became stronger and faster than Lana had thought was possible for such weak enemies.

Lana and Darunia were running past many enemies, taking over small command posts as they went along. A giant orange hand suddenly blocked an incoming wave of Stalchildren, grabbing them and throwing their bones across the field.

"Midna!" exclaimed Lana, happy to see that the Twilight imp was safe.

"Lana," said Midna, smiling at her beneath her broken piece of the Fused Shadow mask, her glowing orange hair retracting back to a small ponytail. Her head was almost the size of her tiny body, and she was always floating in the air. Strange Twilight markings covered her body. "Where's Link? I never thought you'd leave his side." Midna was taunting her.

"He's with Zelda," said Lana, blushing slightly but trying to remain cool. "We're on our way to restore power to one of the sanctums around here. Can you help us?"

"Tee hee! Sure, that's what we're here for, right?" Midna's hair turned into a giant hand once again, as she sat on top of a phantom wolf. She smashed a path with the deadly hand clear to the sanctum as Lana and Darunia followed close behind her. It was surrounded by high walls, but one of the gates was left wide open.

Lana ran past Midna into the sanctum and was disgusted by the sight she saw. There was a golden Triforce pattern on the wall, turned upside down, while the dark purple shadows escaped from the floor into the skies.

"Midna, Darunia, defeat these enemies while I restore the sacred power of this sanctum," said Lana, determined that they would restore the sacred power. She opened up her book and looked through it to find the spell that would bring power back to the light. Midna and Darunia, with many of the gorons who followed them, were overwhelming the enemy forces who were stationed to protect the place.

She found the spell she was looking for and cast it on the entire area. The shadows stopped spewing from the ground and the Triforce turned itself right-side up. Lana felt a wave of light energy sweep over her body. Hyrulean soldiers funneled into the sanctum to keep it from falling back into enemy hands.

"Alright!" said Lana as she leapt up and down in excitement. "That's one down!"

"Well done!" said Darunia as he threw a moblin with his bare hands from the sanctum.

"Tee hee! That wasn't too hard," said Midna, giggling as she normally did.

Lana looked to the sky and noticed that the second shadowy pillar also began to disperse, and another wave of light energy swept over the area. "Wow! They did it!" she said, excited, but still feeling that there was darkness overshadowing the area. Then she remembered.

"Guys, there's one more sanctum I forgot!" she exclaimed, Darunia and Midna a little shocked at her statement. "I have to go find Zelda." She immediately ran from the East Sanctum to find Link and Zelda so that they would know what else they were looking for.

Lana didn't look back, confident that Darunia and Midna would be able to handle the place. _How did I forget about the last one? It's always three! Anything to do with the_ Tri _force is always going to be three, stupid!_ She saw an enemy keep ahead and decided to look there for Link and Zelda. _Link and Zelda_ , she thought, still put off by the reality of their destiny.

The keep wasn't heavily guarded, though the walls were high and the bombs were plenty. Lana used the bombs to her advantage and destroyed the enemies within the keep and killed the keep boss as a wave of goron troops filled the place to keep it from falling back to the enemy. _Not here, then where?_ she thought.

"Hyaaaah!"

Lana gasped at the sound of the Hero's voice just outside of the keep. She walked out and saw Link and Zelda taking down Stalfos and Stalchildren together. Lana summoned a giant glass box and shot a blast of lightning at it, destroying the enemies in front of her.

"Lana!" exclaimed Link, running towards her. He was at the bottom of a flight of stairs.

Lana was slightly taken aback as Link ran up the stairs to her. She controlled her thoughts and reassured herself that there was nothing romantic about what Link was doing, but she blushed at any thought of Link caring for her at all. Zelda also ran up the stairs to meet Lana at the keep. Link arrived first and Proxi swirled around Lana's head, causing her to giggle slightly. Zelda arrived seconds after, firing a light arrow at the foes who were pursuing them.

"Both the West and the East Sanctums have been captured, but a Dark Power persists," said Zelda, worried.

"Don't lose your focus—there's supposed to be one more sanctum out there!" shouted Lana encouragingly. She still felt a bit stupid for not realizing it before, and felt too embarrassed to admit her mistake.

"Lana, where is the other sanctum? Can you remember?" asked Proxi. She was being a bit more annoying than usual.

"There are three sanctums… One in the east, one in the west, and… Right! Head south!" shouted Lana as she remembered where the last sanctum was located. She didn't want to be around Link and Zelda together. Though she cared for both of them, it was painful to be around them. "Let me go looking for it! I feel like I can almost remember where it is!"

Lana didn't know why she was so caught up in her feelings for Link at that moment. She was supposed to be focused on winning a war, not on how cute she thought Link was when he smiled. She passed by countless skirmishes between stalchildren, bokoblins, moblins, Hyrulean soldiers, and gorons as she passed by the ruins of the Valley of Seers. This place had once been a holy temple in Hyrule, located in Lanayru Province, before Cia began to lose control of herself. Before she secluded herself in her obsession of the Hero.

Lana remembered exactly where the South Sanctum was located, swiftly reaching the place. She pulled out her Sealing Tome and used a spell that would allow her to communicate with everyone on the field.

"I was RIGHT! Everyone, the final sanctum's right here!" shouted Lana. She let them see the place in their minds for a brief moment so that they would know.

Caught up in her own excitement, Lana didn't notice the foes which had taken a base within the sanctum. It was full of lizalfos and stalfos, each well trained and hardened by combat. She was going through the book once again to find the spell, but was slashed in the back by one of the lizalfos which had snuck up on her.

She screamed as she fell to the ground and unleashed a flurry of lightning attacks on her assailants, knocking most of them off of their feet. They got right back up, however, and began to close in on her. She threw the Sealing Tome at one of the Stalfos in an attempt to knock his head off of his shoulders to make an opening for her escape, but the Stalfos simply hit the book away with his axe. She was now completely surrounded, as a Gibdo Knight edged closer and closer with his massive sword. He was about to swing the blade over to kill Lana once and for all, when suddenly his arm which carried the sword fell off. Lana looked to see what happened and saw flashes of blue and green surrounding her as she started to lose consciousness.

Link had come to save her from her rashness at going by herself to open the sanctum. Link alone had followed her. He quickly dispatched all of the enemies within the sanctum and took out a bottle of purple potion and handed to Lana.

"I'm here," he said, while Lana emptied the potion in her mouth. "Don't do that again."

"You almost died!" shouted Proxi the fairy, shaking in Lana's face, reflecting off of her purple eyes. "What in Hyrule were you thinking?"

Lana felt completely refreshed, the potion working its way through her system to the gash on her back. It began to mend itself. She was extremely grateful for Link's heroics, as leaving the Princess behind was no small thing to do.

"Where's Zelda?" Lana asked, wanting to make sure she didn't jeopardize the mission with her foolishness.

"She's with Impa and Ruto," said Link, lifting Lana from the ground to a standing position in front of him.

"Link was worried about you, so he came to make sure you didn't die," said Proxi, still circling Lana's head.

"Hey!" said Lana, trying to hide the joy she felt at Link's apparent care. "Who do you think I am, huh? I could've taken them on just fine!"

"Tell that to the Gibdo Knight," said Link, chuckling at Lana's innocence.

"Hmph!" Lana grunted indignantly. "You could've given me just another moment and he would've been powder." She was trying to act more like the Princess, in that she wanted to appear very competent in battle.

"Right," said Link sarcastically, handing her Sealing Tome back to her so that she could perform the spell to fix the South Sanctum.

"Okay!" she said, winking at Link as she took the book and opened it to the proper page. She read the spell, and the darkness expelled from the sanctum and once again the Triforce was turned right-side up. The feeling of light energy filled them until they could no longer feel darkness in the air around them.

"We have broken the sanctum's seal and diminished the enemy's power!" shouted Zelda, victoriously. She used the same magic that Lana used to communicate with all of them across the battlefield. Lana only heard her voice in her own mind, but knew that the others had heard her say it as well. Lana looked at Link, smiling at their current victory.

"So you managed to retake all three sanctums? Hmm. I don't think I like surprises," said Cia, disappointed at her minions and their lack of competence.

"Let's regroup with the others!" said Lana, now knowing what was bound to happen. She knew that the door to the Gate of Souls was still locked, but eventually they would have to confront Cia. She knew Cia was not going to give up on her plans. She knew that Cia was going to have to die.

"Hurry!" said Proxi as Link and Lana followed her back into the battlefield to meet with Zelda, Impa, and the others who were with them. A darknut blocked Lana's path, so she used more of her advanced spells to take him down. She summoned crystal blocks which surrounded, knocked around, and pummeled her foe.

She took one more leap and blew up the crystals that surrounded the darknut, who fell. As she landed on the ground, she noticed that Link and Proxi were a bit ahead of her.

"Uaaahhh!" Cia's voice rang across the battlefield. "Allow me…to teach you a lesson!"

Lana saw balls of magic energy begin to spiral out of the stronghold which protected the Gate of Souls at the center of the battlefield. Two of these balls passed by Lana and exploded behind her, covering her in dust.

When the dust cleared, Lana saw that there were miniature portals across time which had been unleashed by Cia, who was clearly at the limits of her power already. "Cia! Stop! Your spirit can't take much more of this!" Lana began to plead with her other half, in the false hope that it didn't have to end with her death.

"Cia—this is your work, isn't it?" said Lana, knowing that the Cia she was once a part of was gone. She ran to catch up with Link, so that she wouldn't be found alone on the battlefield once again.

They reached the keep that Lana had taken by herself and found Zelda there. With her were Impa, Darunia, Midna, and Ruto; they were discussing about their next plan of attack on Cia and how Link would be the one who would take her out. When Zelda saw Lana, she stopped speaking, seeing the inner turmoil that had been going through Lana at the prospect of killing her other half.

"Her soul has been corrupted… And all in pursuit of ultimate power…" said Zelda, sadly as she knew what meaning it would have for Lana. "I'm sorry we have to do this."

"Don't worry," said Lana, as Link walked to Zelda's side. "She is destroying the fabric of reality itself, and with me here, there is no hope of her returning to the light. What's our plan?"

"Zelda, the time to awaken my power is upon us! Come to me!" shouted a voice to their small group. The female voice was powerful and demanding.

 _Well,_ thought Lana, _I guess that answers my question._

"The Great Fairy has summoned me! I must hurry to the Fairy Fountain!" said Zelda as she started to walk towards the stairs to go to the Fountain alone.

"Princess Zelda, it's dangerous to go alone. Take me!" exclaimed Impa, drawing her enormous blade from the scabbard on her back.

"Hey, don't hog all the fun! I'm coming too!" shouted Darunia, brandishing the giant hammer in his hands.

The three of them left Lana with Link and Ruto at the keep. "Well, what should we do?" asked Ruto impatiently. She looked at Lana and winked at her. "You know, I'm engaged to the Hero of Time!" Link shifted uncomfortably, but Lana laughed internally at the statement, as she knew all too well about her false engagement with the Hero of Time.

"We should try and find Fi and Agitha," said Lana, successfully repressing the laugh. "We haven't seen them in a long while, and Midna while we're at it." She looked at Link again, unable to really stop herself from smiling as she did so. She used the spell to communicate with all of her allies on the battlefield, "Fi, Agitha, Midna! Are you guys alright?"

"We're fine!" Midna's sly voice reached them. "Found these two clowning around the West Sanctum. If it wasn't for me, they would've gotten seriously lost."

"I calculate a 56% probability that what Midna said is false," said Fi.

"56% my butt! You guys had no idea what you were doing!" Midna spat back at her. "Besides her, little miss bug princess found herself a nice little beetle to match herself and was chasing it around here when the soldiers saved her."

"Agitha was just worried about Mr. Beetle's safety!" Agitha's airy voice reached them.

"All of you!" Lana exclaimed. "I'm so happy to hear you're all safe! But Princess Zelda is on her way right now to the Great Fairy! I just want all of you to prepare yourselves for when the Fairy uses her magic."

"Roger that, captain," said Midna.

"Come on, Link," said Lana. "We have to help them, too. There's no reason for us to stay here any longer. The gorons will protect this place."

Link nodded in agreement, and the three of them left the keep in the charge of the gorons. Lana led the way to the Fountain, as she was the only one who knew the direct path. Zelda had been led by the Fairy herself.

"The Great Fairy has instructed us to make this area our base! Let us not disappoint her!" shouted Zelda through the network. "We must also draw as many enemies as possible to the area north of the fountain! I shall use the Magic Circle to defeat the enemies in one powerful sweep!"

 _Is that the Fairy's plan?_ thought Lana. _That won't be an easy one._ Link, Lana, and Ruto reached the Fairy Fountain in the middle of the field in front of the main part of the ruined castle. Inside, it was clean and blue, Zelda standing in the midst of it. She was fighting off a few more stalchildren as the magic circle glowed behind her.

"I can draw the enemies over from the east!" shouted Darunia, as he pounded his way past their small group.

"Allow me to destroy the enemy reinforcements. We can't let them find the Magic Circle!" shouted Impa as she rushed to head off any foes which might walk into the field surrounding the Fairy Fountain.

Link rushed into the Fairy Fountain to ask Zelda what he could do to help.

"Link, you stay here with Lana for now. Just protect this place so that no one discovers our plan," said Zelda to the two of them.

"What, do I not exist or something?" asked Princess Ruto indignantly.

"Do as you please, Princess," said Zelda, as the zora left the room alone.

"Urg… Gyaaarh!" The yell echoed across the battlefield. Lana hadn't heard a voice like that before, so she looked at Link to see if he knew anything about it.

"Volga!" shouted Link. "He's here now, too!" He immediately drew the Master Sword from its sheath and ran out of the Fountain to confront this foe. Lana looked at Zelda and she nodded to let her know that she was okay to follow after him.

Lana had never seen Volga in person, but had heard all about his achievements. Before he was brainwashed by Cia into following her, he was a respected dragon warrior, leader of an entire army. He was honorable, never taking advantage of his foes' weaknesses. Cia approached him at the beginning of her campaign to take over Hyrule, but he utterly refused to serve her. She used her army, along with Wizzro, to destroy his entire army and force him to serve her. At the end of the battle, Volga's entire army was gone, but still he refused to serve someone so evil as Cia. She used her power to enslave him into servitude, and he'd been a general of her army ever since.

Lana was outside and saw Link running towards who she knew to be Volga. He wore a dragon helmet, and was clad from head to foot in red armor, giving himself an entirely dragon-like appearance. He was taking on five Hyrulean captains by himself with little effort.

"Wh-what? S-something's not right about this guy! I've never felt power like this before!" shouted one of the captains as Volga thrust his spear into his chest.

"The dragon knight has become extremely dangerous. Don't get careless!" said Impa, a tinge of concern on her voice. She was near Link underneath a withered tree. The two of them charged towards Volga, who was stood at the foot of the staircase, the Hyrulean captains' corpses now lying at his feet, his spear soaked with their blood.

"We must draw in the enemies from the west as well!" said Zelda.

"I have that," said Ruto through the network provided by Zelda.

Link and Impa were having an intense battle with Volga as Lana attempted to use her magic to assist them from behind, not getting to close to them. Lana feared that if she tried to move in closer, she would surely be hit by one of their stray blades.

Darunia started to run towards the field from the East, and behind him were running well over fifty of the enemy soldiers. To the West, Princess Ruto was running with her own following of deadly troops close to the same number. "The Triforce of Courage is needed to activate the Magic Circle, Link!" shouted Lana. Link left Volga behind with Impa and ran back across the dry field towards the cave of the Fairy Fountain. Lana created several crystal blocks to surround Volga as she and Impa ran from the area to take cover as well.

"Now! Use the Magic Circle!" shouted Zelda as Link ran into the Fountain.

Lana and Impa ran to the mouth of the cave and heard a very loud laughter come from within. They turned to look at the battlefield now completely covered in enemy forces. Volga had transformed into a massive dragon and broke free from the crystal confinement, and was now back in human form racing towards Lana and Impa.

Lana saw in the sky dozens of fairies emerging from the Fountain, all colliding into one place, forming a massive Hylian Crest, which shined brightly in the purple sky above the dark, dry field. It began to rain light upon all the foes which were running around, and they began falling one by one. Even Volga was caught in the light.

Darunia and Ruto managed to make it out of the range of fire just in time to stand next to Lana and Impa, as the rain turned into a massive ray of light which consumed the landscape.

"That'll be the end of Volga," said Impa. "We're lucky to be standing where we are."

"Impressive… But not the most impressive thing I've ever seen!" said Cia, disappointed in her troops as the light began to fade. Even the bodies of the fiends were nowhere to be seen. The light had completely eradicated them, yet the landscape itself, with the withered grass and trees, remained completely unharmed.

"Ruarrrgh! Prepare to meet your fate!" Volga emerged from the light, completely covered in injuries of all kinds; his armor had large chunks missing from it.

"I-is he unstoppable?" said Lana, as Volga began to charge, all of his injuries completely healing. Even his armor regenerated.

Link shot out from the Fountain to engage Volga in combat once again, Darunia and Impa joining him in the combat. Lana tried to assist them with her magic, but it had little effect on the dragon warrior. Zelda finally came forth from the cave and stood next to Lana in disbelief at Volga's powers.

"I cannot believe it," said Zelda, looking at Lana. "He was never this powerful before…"

"It's Cia," said Lana, feeling that her other half's power was draining. "She's giving him this power. It's almost all she has left."

"I see," said Zelda. She stepped out with her rapier towards Volga. Impa and Darunia had been knocked away, leaving Link to hold off Volga's attack on his own.

"Zelda! You can't!" exclaimed Lana, starting to walk towards her.

"Can you really take pleasure from resorting to dark magic to win your battles?" Zelda asked Volga, in an attempt to appeal to the warrior's pride.

"Haaaaa… Don't mock me!" said Volga, in a resigned and ashamed way. He took his spear away from Link and looked at Zelda, his eyes hidden by the dragon helmet.

"Open your eyes! I believed you to be a proud dragon warrior, not a sellsword for darkness!" shouted Zelda. She waved her sword, and bits of light shot at the dragon. Volga seemed to have a complete change about him. He placed a hand on his head as he began to sway back and forth. He lost his balance and took a knee to the ground. His spear clanged to the earth when he placed both hands on his head as he began to shake.

"No… NO! I won't be ruled by darkness!" shouted Volga, full of anger. The dark aura which surrounded him began to dispel, and Volga became himself once again. "This battle is nearly at an end… Now let me show you how a true warrior finishes a fight!" Volga picked himself back up and looked at Link, raising his spear in his direction.

Link smiled at him, as respect between the two warriors was built in this heated battle. They clashed, matching blow for blow, until Link was able to gain enough energy to strike at his foe's arm when he tried to swipe at him with a dragon claw. This threw Volga off enough that he lost his balance and Link thrust the blade of evil's bane through his opponent's stomach.

Volga coughed, a stream of blood beginning to trickle from his mouth. "I lose, but I do so without regrets…" he said, falling back to the ground. Link walked over to the dragon who laid on the ground, blood spilling from the wound in his stomach.

"We didn't have to fight," said Link, looking over his defeated rival.

"But we did," said Volga, with what should've been his last few breaths. "We couldn't let this rest between us without a victor; such is the way of the warrior."

Link looked from his fallen foe at Lana and Zelda. "He didn't deserve this. It was Cia's doing," said Link.

Lana looked at Volga, who lay dying in the dirt. _If I just had more time, I could save him,_ she thought. _This was not his war._

"Volga lost? Well of course he did… I'm surrounded by failures!" shouted Cia in anger. "Let go of your inhibitions! Don't let a single one of them survive!" The rest of her surviving minions began to close in on the warriors. Poes, gibdos, dinolfos, and darknuts began to close in on their location in the dark field on the steps which lead up to the Gate of Souls.

"Cia… No more… Please…" said Lana. Even now, Lana was hesitant to simply watch as Cia perished. She knew she had to die, but Lana didn't know how to face it.

"Cia is the final challenge standing in our way. You must finish her off!" shouted Zelda. Nobody cared about offending Lana any longer. This was not a time for anyone to lose their willpower, nor a time for them to ease off the attack that so many had sacrificed to make possible.

"You can do it! Bring the fire!" shouted Darunia in joy.

"Leave the scraps to me. Cia is your responsibility!" shouted Impa. She ran head on towards the legion of troops who were running down the stairs at them. Darunia followed her lead and began striking every enemy he could see with his mighty hammer.

"I'm going with you!" exclaimed Lana as Link and Zelda began to run up the stairs towards the stronghold which held the Gate of Souls.

Lana followed them into the courtyard which held the Gate of Souls. The courtyard was completely empty, save the bomb plants which lined some of the walls. The grass was dark and still green, but even so it looked completely dead. On the back wall stood the massive Gate of Souls, a portal to any time, wherefrom thousands of villains had crawled forth during this War.

Cia suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke before them, and began to walk towards Link. She looked exactly as Lana did, though she had white hair and dark skin. She wore very little clothing, leaving almost nothing to the imagination in her dark attire. She wore what appeared to be a mage's crown on her head. She rubbed herself provocatively, trying to distract the hero from his mission. Lana was disgusted at her apparel and actions, knowing that she was simply trying to force Link into being with her. She laughed, saying, "Do you really think you can defeat me? Mwa ha ha! Why don't you disappear?!"

"Finish this once and for all!" exclaimed Lana, struggling to say it. Seeing Cia there like that… at that moment she knew that it was too late to save her. There was no good left in her heart.

Cia began her attack by trapping Lana and Zelda in chains made of shadow, so that Link had to face this by himself. "Zelda!" shouted Lana, as she saw the pain in the Princess's face. "Are you okay?"

"Give me a moment!" said Zelda, her peaceful voice straining. "I can get us out of this."

Link charged in at Cia and began to slash at her with the Master Sword. Cia proved to be a worthy combatant as she had before, but this time something was different about her. "Link! She's weak! She has used too much of her power!" shouted Lana, as the shadow chains began to tighten around her, causing pain to shoot throughout her body.

Link dodged a flurry of shadow rays that Cia shot towards him, and slashed her leg with the sword. Blood trickled down her bare leg, and she had pain strewn across her face.

"Hnnn-! That…hurt… You...will…DIE!" shouted Cia. Three new Cias appeared and started to fight the hero.

Zelda finally broke the bands on her own chains and came to release Lana from hers. She made very short work of the chains which surrounded Lana, and the two immediately joined the fight against the Cia copies. Lana used her lightning to take out two of them, and Zelda ran the other through with her rapier. All that was left was the real Cia.

Link was without mercy as he began to beat Cia back to the wall where the Gate of Souls rested. Cia continued to laugh at Link as he took over the fight. Her hope was lost, as was her own soul. Link knocked her weapon from her hands, and drove the Master Sword through her chest. He quickly drew it and blood spilled from the wound. She had blood running down her mouth, and her eyes stared blankly as she fell to the earth.

"Lana… I thought this is what you wanted…"

Lana ran to Cia and lifted her to look her in the eyes. "Cia…" said Lana, looking into her deep purple eyes.

"We've seen how this ends…and we both know that he doesn't choose you," said Cia, her life beginning to fade. "How do you do it…knowing you get left behind?"

Lana looked back at Link and Zelda, knowing full well the feelings Link was having towards the Princess. It still hurt her painfully to know that she was not destined to be with the Hero, but she wasn't about to let that destroy her. She looked back at Cia and said, "You don't always get the person you think deserve…and I can live with that."

"You always were… my better half…" laughed Cia as she started to disappear in Lana's arms. She completely vanished, and Lana was left grasping at nothing but air. The Triforce of Power shone brightly, levitating in her hand. She shielded it with her hands and made it disappear. She turned and smiled at Link and Zelda, the three pieces of the Triforce now safe from harm.

Lana's smile was empty, as so many emotions began to flood into her. She had to smile to keep herself from falling apart. Link and Zelda simply stared at her as she walked towards them. Impa, Darunia, Ruto, Agitha, Midna, and Fi all hurried into the courtyard to see what had happened. When they saw that they were all okay, they began to cheer and celebrate with Link and Zelda. Lana continued to smile as she walked past them down the stairs.

"Lana," said Link, softly, but still audible over the cheers of Darunia. "I'm sorry it had to end this way." Lana felt warm when she heard her Hero say this, but still felt depressed as she walked past them to be alone.

Lana walked down the stairs away from the Gate of Souls. She knew that her adventure with Link was over. As Cia said, they both knew that Link wouldn't choose her over Zelda, so it was just a matter of time before Link would leave her behind. _Time_ , she thought _. What a joke._

Lana began to cry as she passed by the many dead bodies and stalfos bones which were strewn across the battlefield. She wondered why she had to be in the situation that she was in. An entire war across time caused by her desire for love, and here were the results. She wondered why she had to be in love with the legendary Hero instead of a viable option. Cia was dead, and what Lana told Cia as she died was true. _You don't always get the person you think deserve…and I can live with that._ She could live with it, though it would be some time before she could be happy again, if ever.

She sat on the main staircase which lead down to the field of dry grass and withered trees when she knew she was far enough away that Link and the others wouldn't see her crying like that. She cried until she no longer had the will to cause tears to roll down her face.

A cough broke the silence around her, and Lana looked to see where it had come from. She bolted down the stairs, her eyes still red, with tears dried on her face.

It was Volga. It seemed that he had just coughed out his last breath and moved on into the next world, where he would surely be judged poorly. Lana didn't feel that it would be right for this noble warrior to pass away like this, enslaved to the will of evil when he wanted no part in it from the beginning. She crouched over his body and placed her hand on his chest, calling on the power of the Triforce, reversing the time around him to just before he died. It took an enormous amount of her own energy, but he began breathing once again, though he was doomed to die if his wounds went untreated.

"Here," said Lana, as she took out a bottle of purple potion and began to rub it on the wound in his stomach. "It's not much, but it'll keep you alive." She placed the bottle on his lips and caused him to drink the rest of it. Volga had to have had a lot more willpower than Lana had ever seen to have survived this long. She had been certain he died right after they left him there.

His breathing eased and the wound in his stomach began to mend. "Why did you do this for me?" he asked, sounding a bit annoyed at her action. "I was your enemy."

"Yes, but if I can save anyone from Cia's madness, it'd better be you," she said as she laid his head back on the ground and attempted to remove his helmet.

"Don't touch it!" exclaimed Volga.

"Come off it," said Lana, retracting her hands from his helmet. "What, you think that you're ugly or something?"

"Don't get cute with me, girl," he said. He sat up and several of his joints popped. "I embraced death. I lived for war. Tch. Now I have nothing to go back to. Nothing."

"I know," said Lana, fully aware what had become of his home before the beginning of this war. "Which is why I'm giving you a chance to do something more. Maybe you could help us rebuild Hyrule, you know?"

"Don't make me laugh," said Volga, with fire on his breath. "I'm nobody's cleaning boy, certainly not some spoiled princess's."

"Then do something else!" said Lana cheerfully. "It doesn't really matter, just go make a new name for Volga."

"I had a name," he said. "I had a people." He stood up, and Lana with him. "Now all I have is a debt to you." He leapt into the air and transformed into the fearsome dragon and flew away. Lana looked after him, unsure of how this would change anything in time.

 _At least_ , she thought, _he could find rest_.

* * *

Lana, Link, Zelda, and their allies from across time all gathered around in a circle to bid their farewells. Lana was preparing to send them back to their respective times so that she could close the gates, and bring balance back into their world.

A golden circle with archaic writings appeared on the ground around them, and Lana opened up floating portals to each time that had been affected by this crisis, each one behind their respective occupants.

"Well, that's that! See you next crisis!" said Midna teasingly. She and Agitha went back through their own glowing time portal, and the rest followed suit. Darunia and Ruto left in their own, and Fi left alone through hers.

Link, Zelda, Impa, and Lana naturally stayed in their own time, though the chaos brought by Cia was still surrounding them. Lana felt guilt in her heart as she looked around, knowing that dark powers still remained in Hyrule. But there was one power specifically that she couldn't figure out. A power that had been left alone, as so many other events kept them from going to fix it. Lana wasn't sure what it was, but it kept her from closing one of the portals in fear that the evil would never leave them.

"Let's put Hyrule back in order," said Zelda to the others. They stretched out their hands, and the pieces of the Triforce left Zelda's and Link's hands, and Lana released the Triforce of Power to join the others. The Triforce became one. It shot into the sky and all of the portals connecting their worlds began to close. The chaos began to mend, and Hyrule, as they knew it, returned to its natural order.

"There. Things should be as they were," said Lana, as they looked around at the dirty landscape, free from the evils of Cia. "And with that, I should go…"

"Lana…" said Zelda. "Will we meet again?"

"…Good-bye," said Lana, giggling a bit as she walked away. There was still one more portal she had to close, but she resolved that it was her burden alone to find out what was amiss in time. She wouldn't bother Link or Zelda with it again. She couldn't bear to see them together anymore.


	2. Chapter 2: Sleeping Darkness

The Valley of Seers remained as it was, still covered in the ruins of an ancient Temple which used to surround the Gate of Souls. Lana knew that a time would come when she would have to restore the Temple to its former glory, but now was no time for that. In fact, to Lana, it didn't feel like it was time to do anything. When she had been a part of Cia, they spent countless hours gazing into the ages across time, watching the many stories unfold.

One such subject they used to gaze at often was the Hero. Not the Link who Lana had fought alongside, but dozens of others who had also wielded the Master Sword and saved Hyrule from destruction. Before now, Lana had seen them all as being the same person, simply reincarnated to carry on a different life. She knew that it was more than that now.

Watching the other Heroes across time was almost meaningless to her after she returned to her Temple. Their stories were inspiring to say the least, but she no longer felt what she used to for them. She learned that there were clear differences in the Link she knew and those of the past and future. Sure, she could open another Gate of Time to try and see if another Hero could love her, but she didn't want a different one. The Link she knew was so unlike the others, and yet so similar. And even so, she feared greatly to interfere with the Hero's bond with the Princess. All of them. There was no telling what could happen if she tried to interfere with his destiny any more than Cia already had.

Weeks passed, and Lana's heart didn't heal. She often couldn't sleep at night, and the darkness she sensed was still lingering in her mind. There was still an evil force unlike any she knew in Hyrule, out of place and time. She tried several times to find it by trekking into the forests or even by checking the Gate of Souls itself. She had no luck.

On a certain day, Lana had been trying to rest. The purple sky above the Valley of Seers was darkened by the lack of sunlight. She had a simple bed on which she rested, but it wasn't being used. It was another one of those nights where her sadness kept her from sleeping. She decided to spend it staring into the Gate. She promised herself that she would never use it to spy on the Link she knew again. He deserved his privacy.

She grew ever more tired, as she watched the gorons of the Twilight Age wrestling for supremacy. It was a match she had seen time and time again, when the cunning mayor of Ordon used his iron boots to best the mighty gorons. She still couldn't believe that the gorons never caught on to his trick. It seemed so obvious.

Lana got bored of the match and decided to take a stroll out in the cold air. In the courtyard where the Gate of Souls rested it was warm and cozy, though it seemed to be outside. There was a magic that surrounded it that kept it that way.

She walked to the large doors which led to the steps down to the rest of the temple. They opened without a sound, and a nice cool breeze breathed on her skin, causing her to shiver. At the bottom of the staircase, Lana gasped at what she saw. It was a man.

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" said the man.

"It's you…" said Lana, recognizing the elusive figure. He had slanted eyes, a flat face, and orange hair. On his back was a large backpack, covered in strange masks, but none were as strange as his purple attire.

"I see… so you've heard of me," said the Happy Mask Salesman. He had a creepy smile on his face which never seemed to go away. "I must say, I'm flattered. This place we find ourselves in is a curious one indeed. I hadn't expected to meet anyone who knew of me!"

"I can see across time itself," said Lana, cautiously walking down the steps to meet the man, "but you're like one of the only guys I've ever had trouble following." She knew him only as the Happy Mask Salesman. He was from the Era of the Hero of Time, where he sold helpful masks to the same Hero. He disappeared around the same time that the Hero of Time did, and from then on, Lana had never been able to find him again.

"I apologize," he said as Lana arrived on the steps in front of him and sat down. "My search for rare and precious masks has taken me to many places most folks have never even dreamed of."

Lana was impressed, but skeptical. She didn't even know what she could say to the man. She knew that he had been through quite a lot over the years, but even now he still looked as young as ever. She then realized that maybe this man had come from a different time than she had suspected. After all, she never could be sure who was coming from when.

"Do you know of anyone named Link?" she asked him. She had no idea what else she could've asked him. Link was probably the only connection she could have with him, and she would be able to get an idea of what time in his life he was from.

"Oh," said the Happy Mask Salesman, scratching his face. "Hm, yes I did once know a boy by that name. What he did for me is one of the reasons I'm standing in front of you today."

"I see," said Lana. "Come up to the Gate with me, will you? It's really cold out here, and I'm not exactly dressed for the weather! I didn't want to stay out long anyways."

The strange pair walked up the steps to the courtyard which housed the Gate of Souls. Lana hadn't changed much about the place, save a table, chairs, and her own bed. The temperature in the room seemed perfect. "Sit down, then tell me what you're doing here," said Lana. Her usual cheerfulness was masked by her depression.

The two of them sat in the chairs around the small wooden table, and the Salesman placed his large backpack on the ground next to them. "You're very to the point, aren't you, young lady?" he asked. "Seems more like a mask, hiding your former self, if you ask me."

Lana was surprised at the statement. Indeed, she hadn't been the same since the battle that took place on the very spot they were seated at, but a man who had never met her knowing that is what surprised her the most. "You don't know me!" she exclaimed.

"I know a thing or two about masks," he said. "The one you wear is a painful one. The terrible fate you've met is deep. Even my song of healing won't be enough to completely soothe the pain. After all, love is an emotion that carries on, even when the one in love has no desire for it."

"What're you even doing here?" she asked him, looking down at the table, unwilling to meet his eyes.

"I've traveled far across this world, and I've come to discover that it is not the one I belong to," he said, as if his previous words no longer mattered. "Much like a world called Termina, it is very different from Hyrule, yet I can see the similarities."

 _This man was in Termina?_ thought Lana. _I didn't think anybody from Hyrule even knew about that place._ She could see through the ages and very little of her time was spent watching Termina. It could easily be answer as to where the Hero of Time had run off to after his journey in Hyrule.

"You're still in Hyrule," said Lana, looking back up at him. "But you're in an entirely different era."

"I assumed this was so," he said, still smiling. "You see; I came here chasing a certain fellow who took something of mine. The portal, as I might call it, brought me here. I know the location of it, of course, but I can't go back until I retrieve what he took."

Lana realized that the darkness she was looking for was connected to the Happy Mask Salesman. There was still one portal she couldn't close. She didn't know where it was, but she retained the power to close it. Only, she couldn't as long as the darkness from within it was still in her era. She had to send it back. Either that, or destroy it completely. "What'd he take?" she asked excitedly. Link's love of adventure must've rubbed off on her.

"It was a certain mask I possessed… rid of its power," said the Salesman, his eternal smile disappearing from his face. "It was once used by an ancient tribe in their hexing rituals, but thanks to that young boy by the name of Link, the power it once had was destroyed. Not only was it used by an ancient tribe, but a Skull Child of the forest once stole it from me and put the entire world at risk of destruction with its power. It's called Majora's Mask."

Majora's Mask. Lana had heard tales of this mask from long ago, and she had even watched the tribe who used it all those years ago. Remembering what they had done with it, Lana was filled with fear at the idea that someone out there still had the mask! That power was supposed to be gone forever! "How did you have that mask?!" she asked him, standing up so quickly that her head swirled. "Idiot! Nobody was ever supposed to find that mask ever again! Ever!"

"I admit it was an obsession which drove me to possess the Mask," said the Salesman, his eyes now slanting in a frown. "But I assure you the Mask's power was destroyed by the young Hero."

"Yes, it was 'destroyed!'" said Lana, making heavily exaggerated air quotes. "That doesn't mean that the power can't be restored! Haven't you ever heard of the Triforce? If someone had something like the Triforce, they could probably restore power back to the Mask!"

"Oh, dear," said the Salesman, remaining in his seat, still looking into Lana's eyes. A creepy smile spread itself across his face. "Might I ask you if you could retrieve it for me? If you do so… the fate you desire can be yours."

"What do you know about fate?" she said in disbelief. "You have no almighty power."

"I do know that the power of this Mask has altered the destiny of countless people, even for the better. You don't know of the good the boy performed for those in Termina. All because the Mask had changed everything there. He saved countless lives, and he created beautiful tales of love and adventure across the land. Perhaps an involvement with this Mask could help you have the fate you desire."

Being with Link was a desire she couldn't believe that any involvement with a Mask could help with. Not to mention that she knew his destiny was to be with Zelda… Still, the prospect of going on one more adventure with him to find this Mask didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Who took it?" she asked, giving into her desire for one last adventure.

"I don't know his name, but he was a curious looking fellow," said the Salesman, his smile still stretched on his face. "He wore a purple hat kind of like the boy's, a purple robe, and even had purple skin, if you believe it. I never knew such a person existed in all of Hyrule."

"He's not supposed to anymore," said Lana, taking a seat. "His name is Vaati. He used to be just a Picori, but then he became a really powerful sorcerer. The Hero and the Princess stopped him a long time ago." Vaati was extremely dangerous. The idea that he was roaming Hyrule in possession of Majora's Mask was unnerving to say the least. She wasn't about to involve her Hero in this if she didn't have to. In fact, she knew that she didn't have to look for Vaati at all. He would find her. She had the Triforce of Power, possibly one of the only things in existence which could restore Majora's Mask to its former power. Vaati would certainly find out and come running.

"Well, I do hope you are capable," said the Salesman as he stood and put the backpack on. "When you do retrieve the Mask, if you could be so kind, return it to me at the portal. It can be found at the entrance to the Lost Woods, which is why I suppose you haven't been able to locate it." He walked out the door into the night.

Lana was left alone to her thoughts once again. She was shocked and worried about what she had to endure now. She was very powerful, but she didn't know if she could stop Vaati alone. When she began to contemplate what was to be done, she heard a very powerful explosion outside of her Temple, followed by a sinister deep laughter she had heard all across the history of Hyrule. _No,_ she thought, _he can't be here. He just can't! Not now!_

She grew extremely worried. Ganondorf was back! How did this happen without her knowing it? Was she too distracted by her depression to realize that they hadn't even returned the Master Sword to keep his evil sealed away?

She went straight to the Gate of Souls to summon herself an army who could fend off Ganondorf's evil forces, thinking this an appropriate use of its power. As she was about to summon them, Impa jumped into the courtyard. "Lady Lana, don't use it!" she shouted. Her Naginata was drawn. "I've brought you an army from Hyrule to assist you."

"Thanks!" said Lana, smiling at her old friend's appearance. "How did you know he was coming?" She ran to her storage chest to grab her Sealing Tome to prepare herself for battle.

"We received reports that he had taken a stronghold in Gerudo Desert. Zelda told us that if it really was Ganondorf, he would surely come after you for the Triforce of Power."

"Then we can't let him take it!" she exclaimed, reading a spell which would allow for communication among her new forces. "Everyone, prepare yourselves in all of the keeps. I have a plan which may work against the enemy!"

"Lady Lana," said Impa, with the Naginata balanced on her shoulder, her red eyes peering into Lana's purple, "Link and Zelda want to apologize for their absence. They wanted to come, but they are preoccupied with another battle. I hope my presence here will be useful, as it seems the Demon King has called on the forces of other ancient foes."

"Don't worry!" said Lana, smiling at the dark Impa. "We can handle this without them! After all, I do have the Triforce of Power." Lana was feigning confidence in her ability to handle the King of Evil. Fortunately, she had seen his weaknesses and had seen him fall to the Hero of Legend time and time again across history. Though she didn't have the Master Sword, she didn't feel it would be necessary as long as Ganondorf didn't hold the Triforce.

"I will protect you with my life," said Impa, "as Link would've done."

"Thanks, but I don't think that will be necessary!" said Lana, faking cheerfulness. She enjoyed hearing 'as Link would've done.'

"Lady Sorceress, I don't think you realize how serious this is," said Impa beckoning to her to come to the door. "Your small band of goron troops won't be enough to handle this."

Lana walked to the door, where she had a vantage point on which she could see the entire Valley. When she opened the door, she was shocked at what she saw. Outside of the ruins of the Temple, the entire valley was completely covered in Ganondorf's forces. Thousands of moblins, bokoblins, and stalchildren with all of their commanders were heading towards the temple. She weighed their options in her mind. In the midst were the three commanders. Ganondorf had greenish skin and red hair like a lion's which reached down to his waist. He was clad in heavy armor, enough that a normal grown man probably couldn't even move in it, though he moved effortlessly in it. Even more impressive were the towering swords he held, both bigger than Lana's entire body. His commander Ghirahim had sleek silver hair, and was wearing only a red cape and skintight diamond patterned clothing, wielding an elegant looking saber. Zant had a wild look, with a helmet that resembled a dark creature of Twilight completely covering his face. He had no weapons that were visible.

"We're seriously outmatched… I think our best bet would be to run," she said to Impa.

"I suspect that the Demon Lord will know our plan," said Impa. "He will certainly try to stop you. I suggest we make haste for Hyrule, where we can meet with Link and Zelda, so we can use the full power of the Triforce to stop them."

Lana nodded at Impa and began to speak with the goron troops who were spread throughout the ruins of the Temple with her magic. "Everyone! Draw Ghirahim and Zant to the keeps!"

"What is your plan?" asked Impa, unsure of the wisdom of her move. "They've already taken the South Sanctum."

"When they arrive, we'll close the keeps, that way I'll only have to run from one Evil King instead of three," said Lana.

"Many gorons will die from your move, as I'm sure you're aware," said Impa.

"If it's to protect the Triforce of Power," said Lana, her cheeriness gone, "we have to make any sacrifice possible."

"I agree with your decision, Lana," said Impa walking to the steps. "I just wanted to make sure you knew the weight of war."

"Hey, I led a lot of forces against Cia in the Lost Woods for a long time before you guys showed up!" said Lana, trying to regain a bit of optimism.

Impa nodded and the two watched as the battle unfolded beneath them. Ghirahim had found his way to the sanctum which held the sacred power which strengthened her troops. As he entered, Lana caused the giant doors to close around him.

"Yes! We've trapped Ghirahim!" exclaimed Lana to the gorons. Without Ghirahim, Ganondorf's chances were immensely reduced. "Now's our chance! Let's push back against the enemy's forces together!" She gave some of the Goron captains some of her magic power, allowing them to summon greater numbers to the battlefield and into the keep to fight with Ghirahim.

The scariest sight Lana had ever seen was still mowing through the gorons like one would cut down grass. The giant blades swung faster than Lana had thought possible, and dark shadow pulsed through them all. She saw Zant walk into the other Sanctum where the sacred power was held, and caused those huge doors to close around him as well.

"Perfect! We have Zant right where we want him!" exclaimed Lana across the battlefield. What she saw next terrified her. Ganondorf himself leapt over the top of sanctum in which Ghirahim was held. Lana was terrified of what was happening to the gorons who were sacrificing themselves within. Shadows erupted from within the Sanctum, and Lana knew that Ganondorf had succeeded in taking it over as the doors opened against her will.

"We should try to push back the enemy wherever possible!" she shouted, trying to raise the troops morale as Ganondorf quickly ran to the Sanctum where Zant was trapped. His great swords were glowing purple.

Lana looked at Impa with worry on her face. "Lana, Hyrule has many troops to spare who are currently on their way to help. I've made sure they are aware of the plan to help you escape with the Triforce," said Impa, with a cool and easy look.

Lana called to the troops once again to give them hope, "The Hyrulean support troops will be here soon! Everyone, hold tight until then!" Ganondorf was running towards Zant's entrapment, all along the way, gorons were falling against his deadly glowing blades and shadow magic. "I don't want to use your troops if we don't have to."

"I think you have little choice."

Lana tried to pour her own power into the gorons who were protecting the keep, at least to give them a fighting chance against Ganondorf. He arrived at the keep, and raised one of his blades to the sky, causing lightning to attack the doors of the keep. The lightning completely blew the doors away, and Ganondorf sped inside and Lana felt the lives of the gorons inside completely disappearing. The sacred power within was gone as the shadows began to spew into the sky once again.

"They've extinguished the sacred power!" exclaimed Lana to Impa.

At that moment, Lana felt the presence of hundreds of soldiers who were just outside of the valley. She used her magic and teleported them to the interior of the Temple.

"Lana, do you need our help?" shouted Impa. She had her Naginata posed for battle at the door of the courtyard.

"Impa!" she said, her voice full of sorrow. "Thanks for coming!"

Impa ran from the room to engage the enemy in battle, if only just to give Lana time to escape. Impa continued to speak to Lana through the network. "Sheikah are trained from birth in secret arts of war. These monsters will not win," she said with confidence. Lana saw that Impa had created four different phantoms of herself to distract the enemy. "Lady Lana, I've created a phantom of you to stay here as well. You head for the Fairy Fountain. When the enemy cuts your phantom down, however, they will be able to see you, so make haste."

One of the Impa copies ran straight for Ganondorf himself. The copy was completely overwhelmed by Ganondorf in his rage at seeing the Sheikah. He took one dirty swipe with his blade, cutting the phantom in two as it disappeared into the air.

Several other Impa phantoms appeared around the battlefield, and Ganondorf continued his rampage among the gorons. Zant and Ghirahim were also engaged with some of the clones in the main field which led to the Temple, and they were carefully picking them off. _If they defeat the real Impa,_ thought Lana _, the others will disappear. Is that what she's planning?_

Ganondorf ran across the main field up the steps into the Temple. Lana grew very worried, knowing that he was heading straight for her and the Triforce of Power. She remembered that as the phantom stood there, who looked exactly like her, she would be invisible to Ganondorf's eyes, so she ran from the sanctuary, heading towards the Fairy Fountain. She made it a point that she wouldn't cross Ganondorf's path, even if she was invisible.

Lana no longer had a vantage point from which she could see the battle unravel, so she had to rely completely on her own ability to survive. The dirty ruins she ran along were covered in the bodies of gorons and the bones of stalchildren. It was an awful sight. All of them had died for the Triforce of Power, which she carried. She couldn't help but feel responsible.

"Lana!" she heard Impa say, though she was nowhere in sight. "I've engaged with Ganondorf. Your time is short. He is too powerful for me, but trust me when I say he's fallen for our ruse."

Lana made it to the field in front of the Fairy Fountain, where she saw both Zant and Ghirahim waiting. They were confident that their master could overtake the Temple alone. The Fountain's gate was closed, and Lana wasn't sure how to open it. From atop the Temple, Lana heard Ganondorf yell.

"What? More doubles? How hard must it be to capture ONE LITTLE GIRL?!" Apparently, he had destroyed the phantom, which meant that Lana was now visible.

"Master!" shouted Ghirahim when he saw Lana in the field. "The girl is here!" He charged at her with Zant, and Lana had to flee from them. The Fairy Fountain hadn't been opened yet.

She blasted Zant with a barrage of lightning, and he fell back from her. Ghirahim wasn't as easy to stun, as he dodged the lightning and tried to cut through it.

"There's no chance for your escape," said Ghirahim in his creepy voice. "Give up, and I might just let you live."

Zant had recovered from the shock and was now following Ghirahim in his pursuit of Lana. The Fairy Fountain finally opened.

"Lana! Use the Magic Circle to flee!" shouted Impa. Her voice sounded weak, and full of pain.

"There will be NO fleeing!" shouted Ganondorf as he reached the field where Lana was battling Zant and Ghirahim. Lana had lost an advantage on the fight, the gorons who had swarmed to protect her were effortlessly cut down by the two who stood before the fountain.

"You're quite powerless all alone…" said Zant in his power-hungry voice beneath his helmet.

Lana remembered an ability that she had once seen Cia use in their battles across time. _Perhaps…_ she thought, _perhaps I have the ability to split myself into copies, just like…Cia._ Ganondorf had reached their skirmish and swung one mighty blade down at Lana, just as she split herself into two personalities, and the blade passed between them.

It was the strangest sensation which Lana had ever felt. She had complete control over both bodies where her soul was split, and could fluently understand each thought which passed between the two. She ran in both directions to escape her foes.

"Huh?" said Zant as Lana and Lana ran away. "These doubles seem rather different… AH! They're not doubles! They're both the real Lana!"

Lana wasn't surprised that another sorcerer such as Zant was able to see through her trick. No matter, this was her only option of escape, and quickly she felt power draining from her body. She ran both ways to try and outmaneuver her foes and make it to the Magic Circle.

"Chase the girl! Do not let either of her get away!" shouted Ganondorf as he chased after the Lana who was headed to the west with Zant.

Lana was having an extremely difficult time filtering power into the two bodies, but she had to keep it up. She had to escape, or the fate of the world could be destroyed by this evil. She passed by dozens of gorons who stepped in to try and slow down her attackers, remembering them in her prayers that they would all find rest.

"Almost!" she exclaimed from the westbound body. "I have to keep going!" She only needed one body to escape, and the westbound was nearing the Fountain.

Ganondorf caught up to her after cutting several Goron captains down. Lana knew that he was aware of the toll this ability was taking on her body. In the westbound body she felt a sword cut clean through her neck and the connection between the two bodies was severed. She was now back in full control with the eastbound body which was being pursued by Ghirahim, though she tripped and fell to the ground because of the immense pain she felt from being killed by Ganondorf's sword.

"Hurry, Lana! Get to the Magic Circle before they can catch you!" she heard Impa say, but it was too late. She had no power left to even move. Ghirahim stopped over her crippled form.

"You've brought a lot of trouble to my master," said Ghirahim, placing his saber against Lana's throat. He looked so formal, yet he was as savage as any beast. "I could easily kill you, but we want to be sure that we get the Triforce of Power."

Lana let tears begin to stream from her face as she began to prepare for the end. She had failed Hyrule, she had failed time, and she had failed Link. What would be her charge in the next life? These thoughts swirled in her head as she saw Ganondorf's monstrous form approach her.

"I would ask you to give it to me," said Ganondorf, his cruel voice penetrating her frame, "but we both know that you'd never let it go without my force." Lana felt the Triforce glow, and it began to pull away from her. It pulled and pulled, until escaped from her magical field around her hand and landed back in the King of Evil's grasp. "All that trouble…but it was worth it! HA HA HA!" His laugh pierced the sky as he began to glow in shadow, the Triforce shining on the back of his hand, accepting him as its master. "Now I just need the remaining two pieces. Hyrule Castle is our next stop!" Ganondorf began to walk away from Lana.

"Master, what shall we do with her?" asked Ghirahim, whose sword was still at her throat.

"Kill her," said Ganondorf, who then disappeared. Zant followed suit and teleported away.

"It's such a shame that one so beautiful as yourself must die," said Ghirahim, taking his blade away from her throat and crouching down to look her in the eyes with his cold, gray ones. "But you got in the way of my master's plans. I live to serve him."

"I know you," said Lana, forcing herself to speak through her pain. "The blade of Demise. You pranced around claiming to be a Demon King, yet all you ever were was a weapon."

"Then you know why I must serve the true Demon King," said Ghirahim. He grabbed her neck with his own hand and began to choke the life out of her. "Because he is the pure hatred of Demise incarnate!"

Lana felt her life drain away as his grip tightened. She couldn't see the light of the world any longer, and darkness filled her sight. She felt the air get hot around her.

Just as she resigned herself to die, the grip miraculously let go. Breath flooded her lungs, and she began to gasp as she opened her eyes to see what saved her. The sight shocked her.

A man, covered from head to toe in blood dragon armor, now with his spear crossing with Ghirahim's own sword. It was Volga.

"Traitor!" yelled Ghirahim at the warrior. "We fought alongside at the siege of Skyloft, and yet here you are, protecting the weak!"

"I'm no traitor, demon!" said Volga, fire escaping from his mouth. "I'm simply a warrior with a debt to fulfill!" He breathed his fire at Ghirahim, who jumped away to avoid getting burned, but his cape was caught aflame.

Ghirahim charged at him with his sword, but Volga was quick and grabbed it with his transformed dragon arm. Ghirahim let go, and jumped around, his arms becoming black, harder than steel. He lunged at Volga, knocking him to the ground and pinning him underneath his demented body. He grabbed the sword back from the dragon and prepared to impale him, but was blasted off by flames from Volga's mouth.

Lana regained the strength to stand, though only just enough to stand. She saw Ghirahim pick himself off of the ground, sword in hand, but his once silver body was now black like ash and crystal. He looked more like a demon than ever.

Volga picked his spear off of the ground, any expression of emotion hidden by the dragon helmet. He charged at the manic Ghirahim, who unleashed a flurry of slashes from his demonic blade, all countered with Volga's proficiency with the spear. It was unclear who had the upper hand in the battle, as they matched blow for blow, neither willing to take any risky moves in fear of letting their guards down for even a moment.

Another burst of fire caught Ghirahim in the back and he turned to see Impa charging at him with her flaming Naginata. Seeing how much of a disadvantage he was at, Ghirahim teleported away.

Impa continued her charge until she and Volga were crossing their pole weapons, though not exchanging blows. "Explain yourself, dragon," said Impa, who had a fierce look in her red eyes, with blood stains around her waist from a wound which was still fresh.

"Wait!" shouted Lana, before the two got out of hand. "Impa, he's here because of me!" Lana shuffled over to the pair, barely keeping herself on her feet.

"You?" said Impa, with an inquiring look on her face. She kept her Naginata crossed with Volga's spear. "What business do you have with him?"

"I brought him back to life!" said Lana, who fell into Impa's free arm. "He was dead, but I saved him." Impa lowered her weapon, but not her gaze at Volga.

"Do you know how many of us this beast has killed?!" exclaimed Impa, as she sat on the ground, keeping Lana in her arms. "What destruction he brought upon Hyrule?"

Volga placed his spear on his back and sat down facing Impa. "I know my sins, Sheikah. It was not my war to fight, and yet I was part of the whole ordeal."

"It was Cia," said Lana. "She put a spell on him. He couldn't control himself."

"That's not entirely true," sighed Volga. "I had control of my actions. Every soldier I killed was something I chose to do. What changed was my purpose. I had no conscience, no purpose behind any who met death at my hand. I chose to kill, but I had no option of what or who I killed for." Volga's mouth was frowning, but the rest of his face was still hidden under the helmet.

"So you were as destroyed by this as any of us," said Impa. The tension on her face was replaced with a look of pity. "I've taken many lives, but I've never felt the burden of doing so without purpose."

The three of them sat in the purple-tinted grass, contemplating the event that had just taken place. Lana was tired, as she had been for weeks. She had a splitting pain across her neck, and her body still felt numb. She began to worry about Link, who Ganondorf was definitely preparing to try and kill. She couldn't allow that to happen, but at the moment she was completely powerless to do anything. She was surprised she could still move at all, even if jiggling her arm a bit could be considered as "moving."

"We must prepare to meet with Link and Zelda when Hyrule Castle is taken," said Impa, standing up, lifting Lana from the ground in her arms. "With his current momentum, Ganondorf will surely be capable of taking the Triforce from them. Strong though he may be, the boy still lacks experience where the King of Evil has hundreds of years of it."

"Don't assume that I'm here to help Hyrule," said Volga, who stood up to face Impa. "I was only here to protect her. Now that she's safe, I have no reason to stay."

"Hmph. That is rather unfortunate," said Impa. "I thought perhaps you'd have something worth fighting for in this battle, do you not? Lana will be in great peril there, even with me and the others there, you know."

"And in that moment of peril, I will be there as I was today."

Volga leapt into the air and transformed into the mighty dragon and flew away. The air around them became cool, and the stink of the bodies which surrounded them filled their nostrils. "Do you have power to give these brothers a proper burial?" asked Impa, cradling Lana's head with her arm.

Lana didn't reply. She slipped into a dream in Impa's arms. She finally had the rest that she had been after for so long. The dream was about her Hero, and what he must be facing. As it was a dream, all she saw was his success.


	3. Chapter 3: The Time of a New Adventure

_After Ganondorf had wrenched the Triforce of Power from Lana's grasp, he immediately led his forces to attack Hyrule Castle. The other two pieces of the Triforce rested there with Link and Zelda. Ganondorf laid siege to the castle and defeated Link and Zelda with Zant and Ghirahim at his side, and he completed the Triforce._

 _Link and Zelda survived the attack, though only just. Ganondorf retreated back to his stronghold in Gerudo valley and disappeared. Zelda came up with a plan to retake Hyrule in Ganondorf's absence and gathered the rest of Hyrule's forces together. Zelda and Link met with Lana and Impa again to make a plan of attack._

 _They laid an attack on Gerudo Valley, during which Lana called upon Midna, Fi, Agitha, Darunia, and Ruto to help them take Hyrule back. They defeated Zant and Ghirahim. Zelda knew that as long as Ganondorf had those two at his side, they stood little chance of victory. Upon their defeat, Zelda found that Hyrule Castle had been transformed, and knew that the final battle was upon them. They made their base at Faron Woods, making preparations to lay siege and defeat the King of Evil once and for all._

* * *

Lana looked around at all of the Hyrulean and Goron troops who had made camp around the Great Deku Tree. The place was completely connected by a series of enormous branches, big enough that entire squads of soldiers could walk across a single branch. They had tents set up all over these branches, many of the soldiers in their night tunics, sharpening their swords for the impending battle. They seemed very nervous about the attack that they were going to make the next day, yet few of them, if any at all, seemed to be afraid. Lana had command of her own squad of soldiers, and she decided to see what it was they were feeling.

She walked to the closest tent of one of her Hylian Captains, a man called Russ, and asked, "How are you feeling?" She was trying to sound tender, like mother would over her children.

"We don't know if we'll make it out alive," said Russ. He wore a simple tunic which had the Hylian Crest stitched into it. "My men…many of them have families who are being forced to work for the Demon King. We're all prepared to give our own lives to stop this madness." The branch he was sitting on was covered in moss, which gave it the appearance of grass.

"Cheer up!" said Lana, smiling at him. "Most of us won't have to sacrifice our lives for this. You'll be able to see your family again, don't you worry." As she said this, Russ's nervous look took on a more courageous one.

"Lady Lana, I have no family to return to," he said. "My parents died long ago, and I never married. If I survive this, I'll make starting that family my priority, so they can live in Hyrule in peace."

"Why didn't you ever marry?" asked Lana. She just noticed how handsome Russ was. He had dark eyes, and black hair, with a sort of brooding appearance. He'd been captain over his squad for just a short time before the War Across the Ages began.

"Never found the right girl," he said. He eyed Lana with curiosity. "Say…Lady Lana, if we make it out of this fight alive, would you allow me the privilege of continuing to serve under you? I would be a great aid to protecting the Temple you reside in."

Lana blushed at his proposal and looked around to see if anybody was watching her. "Oh, I'm flattered, but I don't have any rupees to pay you with, and you know how it is," she said nervously, wanting with every fiber in her being to retreat so that she could avoid this situation.

"Ha ha! Rupees, you say?" said Russ charmingly. "I've got enough to carry me by for a while."

"S-sorry, I have to go," said Lana, as she made her escape. She ran back to the Deku Tree to get away from anybody who might be trying to romance her.

"Hey!"

Lana turned and saw Link walking straight to her. The blush she had on her face grew to a deeper red than it was before, and she used her hands to try and cover it from sight. "Link!" she said through her hands. "Good to see you!" _Good to see you?!_ she thought, thinking herself stupid to say something like that at a time like that.

Link chuckled and stopped in front of her. The Deku Tree was massive, and yet it was hollow at the center. The only people who made camp in this clearing were the generals, Link and Lana included. "What happened over there?" said Link.

"We saw the whole thing!" said Proxi, once again flying around Lana. "Was that guy creepin' you out or something?"

Lana took her hands from over her blushing face and started shaking her head, "No, no, no, no, it wasn't like that!" Lana had absolutely no interest in Russ, and was sure that he wasn't trying to imply anything with her. Or was he? She didn't know.

"Well, Link here got a little jealous," said Proxi, hushed, but still audible so that Link would hear her. "He was like, 'Hey, who's that guy talking to Lana?'"

"Shut it, Proxi," said Link, his cheeks growing a faint pink. He wasn't clad in his heroic tunic and armor at the moment. He wore the same Hylian bed tunic that the other soldiers were wearing. "I just wondered whether or not you knew him."

Lana began to relax, chuckling at the remarks between Link and the fairy. "No, I just wanted to gauge the morale of my soldiers, and he asked if he could serve me after the war was over." She realized how silly she was being.

"Well, that does sound like Russ," said Link looking over at Russ who was now laughing with a group of his friends.

"Russ was one of the guys who tried to train Link when he was a recruit, right Link?" said Proxi. Link never spoke much about the details of his life. Proxi was there, it seemed, to do that for him. "Link said he was always with a different lady whenever he saw him outside of the training room. That's why he was so jealous, I'm sure."

Lana laughed again at what the fairy was saying. "I'm not too worried about that, but thanks for checking!" she said, smiling at the Hero she loved. She wanted so desperately to say more to try and make him laugh, but knew that was not part of her destiny. The time with him was rare, but she learned to cherish it. She thought about whether or not she should include him in trying to stop the sorcerer, Vaati, who hadn't made any signs at all regarding his location.

"Is there something you wanna say?" Link asked. He was looking intently at her with his blue eyes.

Lana shook her head, "It's alright. It can wait until _after_ we beat Ganondorf and save Hyrule!" she said. She wasn't sure yet. She also remembered what the Happy Mask Salesman had told her concerning the Mask and changing peoples' fates, and was still considering whether or not to trust that maybe it would work out. She wasn't going to be like Cia, however. She didn't want to force Link to do anything. She didn't want to change fate purposely.

"Well, then," said Link, looking a bit disappointed like a child who was denied candy, "I guess I'll see you in the morning." He walked towards his blue tent, which had a Hylian Crest stitched into the side. It was next to Zelda's, whose was just in the center of the clearing underneath the Tree. Proxi stayed behind.

"What is it, Proxi?" asked Lana. She rarely saw the fairy without Link. "You forget something?"

"I know how you feel about him," said Proxi, glowing in the air.

Lana was taken aback at the announcement. Somebody _knew?_ "How'd you—."

"Oh, it's obvious if you just look at you," said Proxi. "We all knew that Cia was obsessed with Link, remember? She had an entire mansion full of pictures and statues of him, and you _are_ her other half." Proxi floated closer to Lana, making sure that no one else could hear. "As far as I know, I'm the only one who knows your little secret. Just making sure you know, it's dangerous being in love with a man who loves someone else. Somebody always loses."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Lana. She knew he loved Zelda, and was destined to be with her. As a knight to his princess he'd serve her for the rest of his life. Having this idea reaffirmed by Link's closest friend made a bit of her depression return. Couldn't she just be with Link for one moment without having to be reminded of it?

"Link is my friend," said Proxi. "And whatever he chooses to do, I go along with it. Just so you know," she floated even closer, just inches away from Lana's nose, "he once told me he thought you had really pretty eyes." Proxi zoomed off to be with Link once again, flying straight into his tent, then Link's startled cry was heard across the camp.

 _He once told me he thought you had really pretty eyes._ The saying rang inside her head over and over and over. She was so preoccupied with the thought that going to bed that night or even waking up the next morning was the last thing she had on her mind. The next thing she knew, she was standing with her Sealing Tome next to her beloved Hero, clad in green, listening as Zelda rehearsed their plan to retake Hyrule from the clutches of the Evil King. All around them, soldiers were armored and ready, gorons and their captains were carrying their rocks, and the sun was beginning to rise.

Lana was forcing herself to avoid staring at Link, in fear that if she did, he'd notice and suspect that she felt something for him. He probably already did, but that was beside the point. They were getting ready to teleport to what used to be Hyrule Castle. The troops had taken to calling it Ganon's Tower, and the name had stuck.

"Lana," said Zelda, after she finished reminding everyone of the plan, "are you ready with the spell?" Lana nodded at Zelda and opened up her Sealing Tome. She flipped to a page near the middle and looked around at everyone.

"Everyone!" she shouted. She saw Russ eyeballing her in the crowd of soldiers, but she put him out of her mind. _Really pretty eyes_ , she heard Proxi's voice in her mind again. "I'm not sure how many of us are going to make it out of here, but this is it! We are going to save Hyrule! For good this time!" She read the spell used for transportation and the entire army suddenly vanished from the Deku Tree.

The next few hours were full of battle. Hyrule Castle was now covered in massive swords, and darkness filled the sky. What was once green and beautiful was now dead and covered in cracks. The swords were the size of castle pillars, and they left cracks throughout the ground which spouted lava. Ganondorf was performing a ritual that would enable him to have extraordinary power, and Link, Zelda, Lana, the others and their squads, were the only ones who stood between him and interdimensional domination.

Lana had seen many of her own troop fall to the clutches of darknuts and dinolfos, and she had also sustained quite a few cuts and burns from swords and magic. The argoroks were especially difficult for them to take out, but all the same they had managed to do so.

They had thwarted Ganondorf's plans by taking many of the keeps across the field, but they were unable to stop the ritual from completion. Ganondorf had obtained the ultimate power that he was seeking, and joined the battle. Impa tried to hold him off while the rest of them were trying to obtain a tactical advantage with the keeps, but her life was fading fast.

"Link, you need to go there!" Lana yelled at the Hero. "You're the only one who can use the Master Sword, and that is the only weapon that can stop him! I'll clear a path for you, but you have to get over there!" Lana was yelling at Link while he fought off two darknuts. She entrapped the two within crystal blocks and caused the blocks to explode, killing them instantly.

"Thanks!" yelled Link as he began to run to the west side of the castle to head off the Demon King.

Lana wasn't sure if her deed was worthy of any kind of thanks, as it meant Link had to fight with the timeless king of all evil, but she felt good about it nonetheless. She continued the battle on her end, hoping that Link would be able to stop him.

She turned and saw that a bokoblin archer had fired an arrow that was heading straight for her. She was prepared to block it with a magic block, but was shocked when she saw that a Hylian Captain had jumped in the way of it, the arrow sinking deep into his shoulder. She shot a stream of fire from her the pages of the book at the archer, killing him instantly, and then she ran to the foolish Captain who needlessly took the arrow.

She reached his limp form and saw that it was Russ. Of course it was Russ.

"Hey there," he said, lying on his back, trying to keep the arrow from touching anything. "So about that job, is it still open?"

Lana was in disbelief. _Even now, he's trying to impress me?_ she thought.

"You fool," said Lana, simply looking down at him as she used some of her power to extract the arrow as painlessly as possible. "There was never any opening. I don't need you to protect me." She was being as honest as possible. If anything, the ones who needed protecting were the soldiers. She was fine by herself, and if she couldn't handle it, it certainly wasn't something a typical Hylian Captain could handle.

"Harsh, even here on the battlefield," said Russ, grunting as the arrow slid from out of his shoulder and the wound began to close from Lana's magic. "I guess it was worth a try."

"My heart belongs to another," said Lana, thinking of Link. "And I'm sure he needs my help right now." She closed her Sealing Tome and ran in his direction, hoping that she wasn't too late to help out. She ran by dozens of bokoblins, zapping them, flaming them, and swallowing them with water attacks as she went, hoping that she would be making a difference for the soldiers she was leaving behind. Lightning was striking the ground all around the battlefield. She knew that it was Ganondorf's own power.

Lana ran through a keep and noticed that the lightning had stopped miraculously. Did that mean—? Ganondorf had been defeated?! She kept running, hoping that what she had suspected was true.

She reached the west fields and saw Link with the Master Sword standing over a Ganondorf who was laying on the ground. Ganondorf was covered in gashes from the Sword, and was breathing heavily. Zelda stood near the scene, with her rapier glittering even in the darkness. She had dirt smudged on her face, a deep cut on her left arm, and her dress was ripped in places

From Ganondorf's body, the full Triforce began to rise. It seemed that hope was finally beginning to be restored, until Lana noticed one curious thing: The Triforce was surrounded in shadows. The shadow grew larger and larger until it enveloped Ganondorf's entire form and the surrounding area.

"What's happening?" shouted Lana to Zelda, who looked as confused as Lana felt. "Please don't tell me…" She had seen this before. Several times throughout history when it seemed that Ganondorf had finally been defeated, a monstrous transformation would take place.

A shadowy claw reached from the darkness and a hog-like snout with tusks followed it. The entire form a beast was revealed. He had tusks the size of cannons, skin as dark as volcanic rock, and red, lion-like hair. He had a tail of which the tip occasionally shown blue. His size was simply unbelievable. He made the King Dodongos look like mere playthings.

"I…am…GANON!" shouted the beast. He began to rip through Hyrulean forces without effort as Link ran back to Zelda's side to hear what he should do. After all, she was the rightful owner of the Triforce of Wisdom. Lana also ran to them to see how she could help out.

"Be brave!" shouted Zelda so that any troops who were still fighting could hear. "If we defeat Ganon, light will return to Hyrule and this war will be at an end!" As she spoke, lightning began to rain down from the heavens across the battlefield once again, though it was much more severe this time. "Defeating Ganon will stop the lightning! Hurry! Before the castle is burned to cinders!"

Lana could see why everyone in Hyrule trusted the princess like they did, and even could see why Link would be in love with such a woman. "Watch Ganon's movements closely! I'm sure we've encountered patterns like those before!" said Zelda. Link ran straight at Ganon and began to use every weapon at his disposal in his attack. Ganon shot fire from his mouth, from his hands, and anywhere else you could imagine. Link countered with his bombs, arrows, and even used the hookshot to rip Ganon's tail off. Zelda continued to yell instructions to the young hero and the soldiers who were fighting alongside him. Lana dared not get too close, as she had no armor but a magic shield which she kept up around her and Zelda.

Though it appeared that Ganon was losing abilities to fight back, it didn't appear that he was taking any real damage. In fact, he didn't look to be tired in any way. "You must have an item that can damage Ganon! Don't give up!" yelled Zelda. Even she began to look desperate to find some way to defeat the beast.

 _An item to damage Ganon?_ thought Lana. She had seen countless heroes battle him before with the Master Sword, but then she remembered that there was always one other weapon that either the hero or Zelda herself had used. "Light Arrows!" exclaimed Lana, looking at Zelda. "No hero has ever been able to defeat Ganon without Light Arrows!"

Zelda looked shocked that she hadn't thought of that. "Of course!" she took a quiver of arrows from a nearby soldier and brought it back to Lana. Ganon's roars could be heard in the background as Link continued to fight him. "Lana, share some of your power with me so that we can create the Light Arrows!"

Lana reached out to the quiver, and she and Zelda began to pour their power into it. The arrows started glowing with a sacred light, the very shape of which becoming more elegant and refined, as if crafted for the goddesses themselves.

"Link!" Zelda took the arrows and ran out to meet Link. Lana continued to shield Zelda with her magic, sacrificing her own safety to do so. "Here—take the Light Arrows! Use them to deliver the finishing blow to Ganon!" Link took the arrows and his bow became as glowing and godlike as the arrows. Zelda ran back to bring the shield back to Lana as Link engaged Ganon once again.

Ganon lunged at Link, who dodged only by rolling to the left. Lana and Zelda only saw what happened very briefly. Ganon turned back to face Link, the crystal in his head beginning to glow as he prepared to attack, when Link drew one glowing arrow and let it fly at the beast's skull. It hit Ganon and an explosion of light erupted around his head and he fell to the earth.

"Why… Why do they keep resisting me…?" Ganon said, as he was crippled on the ground. "Why don't they just give up…?"

"Victory is a step away!" shouted Zelda. "Finish him!"

Unlike when they had to kill Cia in order to restore temporary peace to Hyrule, Lana felt that there was nothing wrong with defeating Ganon. He was the real reason for the war. Not her, not Cia, and not even the Triforce. It all came back to Ganondorf, whose evil knew no bounds.

Link took the Master Sword and ran with it head on to Ganon, and drove it deep within his skull, shattering the crystal ornament on his head. Ganon lunged in pain and fell back motionless to the ground, laying as if he were dead. Any normal beast would've died, but Ganondorf couldn't be killed. His evil could only be sealed away.

The Triforce escaped from Ganon's body and split into the separate pieces of Power, Wisdom, and Courage. They shot into Zelda's hand, Link's hand, and Lana caught the Triforce of Power with her magic. They immediately brought the full Triforce together, which reunited and began to glow with a heavenly light as it whirled through the air.

Ganon started to get back up, an incredible feat for one who had just been stabbed in the head by a legendary blade. He didn't stay up for long, as Lana, along with Link and Zelda, willed the Triforce to seal Ganon away once again. The Triforce shot a ray of pure light at the monster, which completely swallowed him, until the light swallowed all of the land.

Lana wasn't sure what happened. She had never sealed a demon away before. She wondered if Link and Zelda were okay, and thought of how dreadful it would be should Hyrule fall back into darkness.

The light cleared and the landscape was completely different than it had appeared just moments before. The sky was now being illuminated by a rising sun, and the earth itself looked like it had been born once again. Lana saw Link and Zelda in the light, with their shadows cast upon the earth. Together they looked and saw Impa, any wound she had completely healed by the magic of the Triforce looking at their allies from across time. Ganon was nowhere to be seen.

Their companions waved at them as they faded back into their own times. "There's just one thing left," said Lana, referring to Ganondorf. "Return the Master Sword to its place." She wasn't about to let the same mistake happen again. She knew it wasn't her destiny to help Link restore peace to Hyrule, but maybe that was the end of it. "But I'm not the one who should do that. No matter what," she looked at the two of them who looked back at her, "you two always save Hyrule…together." Link nodded at her, and he and Zelda began to walk away.

Lana wasn't sure how to feel as she saw them walking into the distance. She stood watching them, unsure of what her future would be like.

"Hey!" Proxi's voice rang in her ears. Lana looked to her right to see Proxi floating there looking at the sunrise. "Where are you going to stay now? We need to know so that we can visit you!"

Lana had never felt so grateful to a fairy in all of her life, including all of the Great Fairies who had helped them in their countless battles. Even though it didn't mean much, the idea that she'd at least get to see Link again was comforting, even if they weren't together.

"For now, I'm going back to the Temple of Souls," said Lana, trying to hide her excitement. "But don't expect to find me there too often. I have some business to take care of at the Valley of Seers." She didn't want to tell Proxi about Vaati. She wasn't even sure yet if she should involve Link. They just found their peace, they might as well enjoy it.

"You told Link that you would tell him something after we won," said Proxi. "Mind telling me what that was?"

"I wanted to tell Link personally," said Lana. "I'm still not even sure if I should tell you guys anything. I think I can handle it myself." She started to walk in the direction of Lanayru Province, where the Temple and the Valley were located. She felt like a good walk through Hyrule would help her clear out her mind. Plus, it would give her time to think about Link, which was always nice. _Really pretty eyes._

* * *

A few weeks had passed and Hyrule was in a time of rebuilding. Lana had spent only a few hours at the Temple of Souls, as most of her time was spent at the Valley of Seers, as she told Proxi. She was going to wait for Vaati to show up. There was no point in searching for him. And when he did come looking, the first place would definitely be the Gate of Souls itself.

She still thought about whether or not Link would visit her there, or if he had tried to see her at the Temple. Either way, she didn't care. If he would come, he would come. Link had never been one to make or break promises.

"Hello, my dear sorceress."

The voice that had spoken as Lana stared into the Gate of Souls was cool, easy, and a little manic. So he'd finally come after all. She turned to see him, expecting to see him at the door of the courtyard. She saw no one. The Valley of Seers had undergone a massive transformation from the time Cia had passed. It was no longer dark and gloomy. The sun shone normally on the plain landscape.

She looked around to see if she was missing anything, and suddenly she felt an evil presence behind her. She turned back around and he was standing directly in front of her. He was short, and wore a purple cap, similar to Link's own. He had on a purple robe, just as the Mask Salesman had described. His skin was a very light purple, and his eyes were as cold as nighttime.

"I came all this way, across time and space, and here I find myself in need of your assistance," said Vaati.

"Well, you wasted your time," said Lana, taking a few steps away from him. She didn't have her Sealing Tome. She didn't expect him to arrive in such a manner. "I don't have anything you would need."

"You see, that's where I disagree with you," said Vaati. Lana noticed that he was hovering in the air in front of her. "Word around Hyrule is that you found yourself a great source of power. Don't worry, I don't want it, that power is beyond me, and too much work to maintain. No, I believe you know exactly what I want _from_ it." He reached into his robe, and pulled out a terrifying mask. It was shaped like a heart and had spikes coming out at almost every angle. It had two orange eyes, and the overall color was purple, yet it had tribal markings all over it. Majora's Mask.

Lana tried to be quick. She lunged for the Mask with her hand, causing a small explosion to Vaati's side to try and distract him, but he wasn't fooled. He swirled around her and knocked her to the floor with a telekinetic burst. "Now, now, I wouldn't try that again if I was you. I know you're actually quite powerful, perhaps even more so than I, but you're nothing without your Tome."

Lana felt a sharp pain begin to course through her entire body, almost like hot needles shooting from the inside out. It was worse than anything she had ever felt.

"You'll…" Lana tried to say, though most of what came out of her mouth were screams. "You'll…get…noth…ing…from…me…" Lana wasn't sure if she could take more of the torture. She looked inside herself to try and find some store of magical energy. She had that book practically memorized by now, she shouldn't have needed it for combat anymore.

Lana cast a spell around herself that protected her from any injury, nullifying the pain of Vaati's attack. Fortunately, the attack left her no physical damage, and she was still able to fight with her full strength. "Impressive," said Vaati. "Now, how do you plan to attack me?"

She performed another one of her memorized spells, trapping Vaati within a solid crystal block. She caused the block to be completely full of lightning before she made it explode with the built up energy. That had to do some damage.

When the smoke cleared from the explosion, Lana lost any hope she'd had for defeating him. He was still floating exactly as he was, with no harm done on his body. "I guess I forgot to mention it took the Hero of Legend to take me down. Even then, he was only ever able to seal my power away." Vaati moved towards Lana, but suddenly a wall of the hottest flames separated the two of them. Volga had made his timely appearance once again.

Vaati dispelled the flames with his magic, and Volga stood with his spear pointing at Vaati, flame on his breath. "Lana, get out of here, now!" shouted Volga. There was little chance of their success together.

Lana knew that if she had mastered Light Magic as well as Zelda had, she'd have a better chance of victory, but for now, she knew that she had to take this opportunity to run. "I won't forget this, Volga!" shouted Lana, as she began to run for the door of the courtyard.

Lana was halfway down the first staircase in the ruins of the Temple when she heard Volga roar. The dragon had fallen. She prayed that he was still alive. Vaati appeared at the bottom of the stairs, blocking Lana's only path of escape. She was about to teleport away, when she felt every single cell in her body suddenly stop moving. Lana couldn't even breathe, though it didn't feel like she had to. She had been turned into stone.

Vaati floated up to her on the steps, with an evil grin on his fairy-like face. "You didn't seriously think running away was an option, did you?" Darkness and shadow surrounded Vaati as he stared at the statue of Lana. Lana felt the Triforce of Power begin to tug away from her once again, as Ganondorf had done before. She hated the idea that she had failed in protecting the Triforce of Power once again. _What else do people expect?_ she thought. _The Triforce of Power is only sought after by evil forces who once kept the entire world at their fingertips._

The Triforce escaped from Lana's magical field, and floated in Vaati's hands. He smiled wide, as he pulled Majora's Mask from within his cloak once again. Lana began to try and use her own power to escape her stone trap. There was one last thing she could do. She wasn't about to let her Hyrule suffer in darkness once again. She had to expel Vaati from this realm, even if she had to sacrifice her own life force to do so.

Her body began to fill with life, slowly, but it was enough. The Triforce of Power was glowing in Vaati's hands next to Majora's Mask, as it began to regain its former power. Lana escaped from her prison and surrounded the Triforce of Power in a magical field and summoned it back to her. Now she would use its power to defeat this enemy.

"You're too late," said Vaati, putting the Mask on. Nothing happened. He floated in the air with Majora's Mask, though nothing else visible indicated any difference.

At that moment, Proxi appeared at Lana's side. "Lana, Link's here!"

There's a thing called good timing, and this was the answer. Even though Link no longer wielded the Master Sword, he was still the holder of the Triforce of Courage. With the Triforces of Power and Courage, even with Majora's Mask, they should have had an upper hand.

"The precious hero," said Vaati, looking down the rest of the stairs, seeing Link with a dangerous looking blade running at him. "You beat me long ago, but I won't make the same mistake again!" A wave of shadowy power shot at Link, as he dodged by leaping on the stairs, and he continued his charge at the wind mage.

Lana focused her energy with the Triforce of Power and summoned the only kind of light magic that she knew. She cast it at the sword Link was holding, empowering the sword with light, not as strong as the Master Sword's, but certainly strong enough to combat a demon.

Vaati floated high into the air, spitting and cursing at the scene of Lana and Link trying to fight against him. "Just give up, fools!" shouted Vaati. Shadow magic surrounded them in an enormous radius. Lana held her breath, using her magic to teleport them away from the Valley of Seers.

They reappeared and found themselves at the entrance of the Lost Woods. Lana reached out with her magic to try and feel out where the portal that the Happy Mask Salesman had spoken of. She could sense that it was nearby, but Vaati's shadow magic felt like it was causing her body to be drained of all power. Lana was prepared to send Vaati back to the world of Termina, in hopes that he'd be no more trouble to Hyrule.

The shadows cleared and Lana saw Link convulsing on the ground, the light sword lying next to him. Tears filled Lana's eyes as she summoned power from the Triforce and began to push Vaati back towards the portal. The Lost Woods had huge trees all around it, and it had an incredibly eerie look to it. The portal was glowing on the side of one of the trees, and Lana began to use all of her power, including some of her life force, to compel Vaati to be swallowed by it. Had Vaati been aware of what was happening, there would've been no chance of their success. He was drawing far too much power from the Mask. He was making Ganon seem like child's play.

Vaati was surrounded by the light of the portal, and then he vanished. Hyrule was safe from his evil influence. Lana cast a charm on the portal, not closing it, but only allowing for one-way travel. Vaati was now trapped in Termina. Indefinitely.

She ran to Link to see if he would be okay. She began to use her power to try and restore him to health, but his form was twisted and demented. The power of the Mask seemed to override his entire frame. She raised her Triforce of Power and used it to begin to expel the darkness from Link's spirit, and he settled down.

After Link was looking like he would be okay, she fell to the earth, completely drained of all her power. Some of her very life force was used to cast Vaati away from Hyrule. She passed out.

When she woke up, she was in a small hut in Kokiri Forest. She looked around her and saw Link, Zelda, and Impa standing around her bedside. A large smile broke on Link's face when he saw her eyes open, and Lana was full of joy to see that he'd made it okay. In the corner of the room, which was more like a hollowed out tree, even the decorations all seemed to be trees, stood Volga. It didn't seem safe having him in the same room as all those he'd once fought, much less a room that could easily burst into flames should he desire, but Lana was happy to see him nonetheless.

"You worried us, sick!" shouted Proxi, shaking in the air in front of Lana. "We didn't know if you'd ever wake up!"

Zelda spoke up, "Indeed, we were all worried. Who in the world was that?"

 _Uh oh,_ thought Lana, remembering that she hadn't told anybody about Vaati. "I guess I'd better come clean, huh?" said Lana. She told them everything she knew about Vaati, how he was once a Minish apprentice. He was once an apprentice to an elderly Minish sorcerer named Ezlo, and he had grown crazy for power when he studied the ways of the giant Hylians. Vaati's master made a hat for the royal family that could grant any wish, but Vaati stole the hat and used it to become an incredibly powerful sorcerer. The Hero of Legend was assisted by Ezlo, and the two sealed Vaati away. He had returned several times, but the Heroes had always managed to defeat him with the power of the Foursword.

"The Foursword wouldn't work this time," said Lana, after telling them about how he'd obtained Majora's Mask. "The Mask isn't effected in the same way that normal darkness is. I only know of one being who ever defeated it, and he was a powerful deity. The Hero of Time was able to use his power to defeat the Mask, and the power within was destroyed. That is, until Vaati used the Triforce of Power to restore it."

"So the impish boy got his desire, after all," the voice of the Happy Mask Salesman trailed across the room, as the mysterious man walked into the room. "But I see that there's no evil-looking moon in the sky, and you and our friend here are alive, so assume you stopped him, yes?" He walked straight to Lana's bed and held out his hand, as if expecting Lana to hand him such a dangerous relic. He had on that same creepy smile, and his eyes were spread so thin, that one could assume they were shut.

"Sorry…" said Lana, sitting up in the bed. "I was only able to send him back to Termina to keep this world safe from more destruction."

"You…" started the Salesman. Suddenly his eyes opened wide and his eyebrows slanted so forcefully that the Salesman was almost unrecognizable through his glare. Lana didn't know how, but suddenly she was lifted into the air by the man, who had extraordinary strength for a person of his size, and he started to shake her vigorously until she became dizzy from all the rocking. She heard the others exclaim in protest, but they all seemed too frightened by this wild change to interfere. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!?"

Link was the first one with the courage to stand up to the manic Salesman. "Let her go!" shouted Link, grabbing his arm. The Salesman stopped shaking Lana and looked at Link, taking in his entire image. Lana felt herself drop to the floor, and she looked and saw that the Salesman had now started to shake Link, "YOU ARE THE HERO OF TIME! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STOP HIM!"

"He's not the Hero you think he is!" shouted Zelda. She stepped in to try and calm the crazed Salesman. "He's a different Link from a different time." Zelda didn't try to grab him as Link did, she simply spoke. "We're sorry, we'll fix anything that you say we broke!"

Link was dropped to the ground next to Lana, and the two looked up at the manic Salesman, who was now clutching his head, trying to calm himself down. He started panting heavily and suddenly stopped. Volga had left the corner and was now pointing his spear at the Salesman.

"No… no need for that," said the Salesman, pointing at the spear, regaining his creepy smile and composure. "Sorry, it's just that with the Mask back in Termina, their entire civilization is at risk of certain destruction. Nay, the entire history of the world will change. I must ask you two to go and recover it, if you will." He was looking at Lana and Link, who still felt shaken up by his previous outburst. "Please, I don't know who else to go to."

"How're we supposed to stop him?" asked Lana, thinking that perhaps with the power of the full Triforce, they'd stand a chance. "Zelda would have to come with us, so that we would have the full Triforce!"

"The Triforce would be of little use against the Mask," said the Salesman. "I only know of one force that could stop it, and it's located in Termina. I don't know where he placed it, but the Hero of Time did leave it behind with two of his close allies who he met in that place."

Lana knew what he was speaking of. It was one of the most dangerous relics in the history of time. "The Fierce Deity's Mask," said Lana. A forbidden Mask that was sealed away by the goddesses themselves long ago. "If we used that, we could certainly defeat him. But, why me and Link?"

"You can travel through time, yes?" said the Salesman, matter-of-factly. "And Link here is one of the only people who can use the Mask without falling to its evil. Well, at least, the old Hero was." Lana and Link stood off of the ground to meet the Salesman's gaze.

"I won't allow Lady Lana to put herself in danger without me," said Volga, placing the spear on his back. "I will go as well."

"You speak as though their decisions have been made," said the Salesman. He eyed Volga with curiosity.

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" said Proxi, circling around the Salesman.

Lana thought about Zelda. Her wisdom would surely be of help to them, despite the fact that she didn't want to sacrifice any time she could be alone with her Hero. "And Zelda, you'll come, too, won't you?" she asked the Princess.

"I would," Zelda began, looking at Impa, "but it's not possible for us to leave Hyrule in the state that it's in. I need to oversee the reconstruction of my land. Link has no responsibilities here. But I have one to my people."

Lana felt a bit of happiness blossom in her chest. She smiled as Link looked at her. "You should've told me," said Link, with a look of concern on his face. "Is that what you wanted to tell me after the battle with Ganondorf?"

"It is," said Lana, feeling a bit guilty for not informing him. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to include you unless I had no other choice. You had quite a lot of time to make up for, not to mention, Zelda to protect."

Link gently put a hand on Lana's shoulder, and she looked into his blue eyes. "If you ever need help again, I will be there for you." It felt plutonic, yet with deep purpose behind it. It made the happiness bloom inside of her.

"I'll remember that," she said, teasingly.

"You have no time to waste," said the Salesman, reaching into his massive backpack. He pulled out an extremely elegant looking book, shaped like the wings of a bird, embedded with many pearls and gems. "I think you might find good use of this. It's a spellbook I found in one of my many travels throughout the world. I've taken to calling it the Sorceress Tome."

Lana took the book from him and said, "Thanks!" she opened it up and began to shoot through it, finding all sorts of familiar spells, and countless others of which she'd never even heard of. Most exciting was a heavy inclusion of light and shadow magic.

"Hey, what about Link?" said Proxi, floating to the Salesman's face and shaking. "He should get a fancy weapon, too!"

"Unfortunately," said the Salesman, taking his pack up from the floor, "I have no weapons in the category of 'Legendary Hero,' so you'll have to make do with that fancy looking sword you've already got there. Now, stop dwindling and go. Vaati has certainly begun to wreak havoc among the Terminians in his anger of being trapped there."

Lana looked at Zelda and Impa. "We'll get back, okay?" she said. "Time will be restored to its natural order once again." She turned and began to walk out of the room with her odd group. A sorceress, a Hero, and a dragon warrior, going to save time from a crazy Minish with a demonic Mask. She was amazed at how quickly Link was willing to leave everything in Hyrule behind, including the Princess. Perhaps he was disappointed in the Princess for choosing to stay behind. Either way, Lana was looking forward to spending this time with Link. _Maybe my fate won't be so terrible after all,_ she thought, as they reached the large, barky tree that the portal to Termina was sticking out of. They walked through together, unsure of what they'd see on the other end.


	4. Chapter 4: A New World

**Great to keep writing this story, it's awesome to see that some people are liking it!**

 **Just a few notes from myself. This chapter marks the first completely original chapter, meaning that the story is built out of my own mind. There are no more direct quotes from the original game, though I will make it a point to ensure that it keeps true to Hyrule Warriors and the way it was played.**

 **This is also the first chapter which is set from Link's point of view. Now I had to make sure that I included a few chapters from his perspective, so that we could see the progression of his relationship with Lana from his own mind. Based on the last three chapters, it's pretty obvious how Lana feels about Link, but it was fun to write about Link's own, so that you can see how he'd been thinking.**

* * *

Link couldn't believe how happy he was to finally be leaving Hyrule for somewhere more exciting. He, Lana, and Volga walked through the supposed portal to Termina without hesitation, and Link was heavily anticipating what was on the other side as they were swallowed by a bright light. It's not that Link didn't love Hyrule, in fact, he did, especially the beautiful Princess Zelda. What he couldn't stand was the clean-up duties. Every day there was something else that needed to be fixed. The first week of peace was fine, when Zelda was sending him off on different missions to pick off enemy troops who dwindled around Hyrule, but at that time, it never happened often enough. He was growing restless. He was supposed to be an adventurer, not a soldier bound to the law.

The light from the portal began to clear, and suddenly, Link knew that he had not dressed properly for the weather. It was freezing cold! He looked all around him and saw nothing but snow and ice, and around the sky, he saw mountains…which were lower than they were. The portal had apparently taken them to the top of an extremely high mountain in the dead of winter. Link didn't even know of anywhere like this place in the Hyrule he was familiar with.

"Sh-sh-sh-should we m-move on?" said Lana, as the wind whistled in their ears. Link was wearing long sleeves, chainmail, trousers, and a tunic which kept him mildly shielded from the icy wind, but realized that Lana was completely exposed to the cold. Apparently she had no idea where they were going to end up either.

"Get us out of here!" came a muffled voice from within Link's cap. Proxi was using it to shield herself.

Link quickly unraveled the scarf he wore, and gave it to Lana to at least give her a chance at withstanding the cold. She accepted it cheerfully through chattering teeth, and quickly wrapped it three times around her neck.

"What are you doing?" asked Volga. He was eyeing Link and Lana suspiciously. He didn't look as if the cold was bothering him in any way. "You shake as if you've not eaten in a week."

 _Is this guy for real?_ thought Link, shivering from the sheer ice that seemed to penetrate his boots. He looked at Volga and noticed something extremely odd. Around his feet, there was no snow. It had melted.

"What, you've never felt cold before?" asked Lana, astounded. "Give me a break! Why don't you share some of that hot stuff with us!" She stood as close as she possibly could to Volga and a wide smile broke across her thin lips. "Ahhhh…see if you can make your heat range wider!"

Volga looked dignified, but he obeyed the white sorceress. Link suddenly felt the warmth of a glowing fire around his form, and immediately he stopped shivering. It was an amazing feeling. Proxi left the confines of Link's hat to enjoy the heat with them, as the snow around their feet melted rapidly. "Well, then, where do we go?"

"Lana?" Link asked, looking at her. She was still wearing his scarf, but he didn't ask for it back. They might get separated from Volga somehow.

"Well," she started to say, "I guess we need to avoid Vaati as much as possible until we find the Fierce Deity's Mask, but I can feel a dark presence around here already. He may have already begun his attack on this unfortunate place. I think we just need to find a way down." Link could also feel the darkness beginning to overtake the land. It was much like when Cia's power had crippled time, only without the obvious time fractures. Where was Zelda's light when you needed it? Link had begun to miss seeing her already.

Lana seemed to pick up on what Link was feeling. "Don't worry, we'll be back in Hyrule before you know it!" she said, smiling. It was always such an innocent smile. Link always enjoyed it the few times that he got to see it. Only, she was wrong about one thing. He didn't really miss Hyrule.

"Yeah, sounds great!" said Link, pretending to agree. He wanted to make sure this 'trip' they were on lasted for as long as possible.

"Are you two finished yet, or are we just going to stand here?" said Volga. He didn't look at all to be in the mood to wait around. The fiery impatience began to shine clear through.

Link nodded at him. They really did need to get going before Vaati ruined the place. At least they could fix any problems that he was bound to make, but they had to do so in stealth, so that he wouldn't know that they had followed him. "Sorry, you're right," said Link.

"Well, first thing's first, we need to get out of here, wherever we are," said Lana, walking outside of Volga's ring of heat. She peered over the landscape, and quickly she gasped at what she was looking at. She looked over at Link, and asked, "How long was I unconscious for?" Link hadn't realized that no one had told her.

"About four days," said Link, walking out into the cold to see what she was so surprised about. He was also taken aback by the dreadful sight. There seemed to be a village at the bottom of the mountain, where the snowfall didn't reach. Well, what used to be a village. The buildings all seemed to be caved in on themselves, and dead figures, indistinguishable from this distance, seemed to line the streets. "Four…days."

It was unbelievable that in such a short time, Vaati had completely wiped out an entire village, sparing none of the beings who had made it their home, for who knows how long. Four days. What else had he done in that time? "Lana, how quickly can you get us down there?" said Link, not wanting to waste any time by walking.

"Hold on, get c-c-closer to V-volga," she said. It was a combination of cold and sobbing that had caused her stammering. Link walked back with her into Volga's heat shield, and Lana captured all of them in a magical circle. Link felt as though his own head was being swirled around in a whirlpool when suddenly they were standing in the midst of the destroyed village.

The village looked even worse, standing in it. There were swords, shields, clubs, and other weapons laying around. Bones of stalchildren littered the place, and Link was even more horrified when he saw the bodies of the gorons. Many of them had begun to decay, but as the goron physiology was made up primarily of rocks, it didn't reek. Their skin was crumbling, and their blood was stained around them on the floors. The buildings themselves were covered in battle scars, many doors destroyed, and the windows themselves caved in.

Link saw Lana walk to the body of a small, goron child. He couldn't have been more than ten years old (by Hylian reckoning, as gorons did age much faster), and whatever killed him was indistinguishable amongst his crumbling form. She fell to the floor and started weeping. Link couldn't bear the sight of it either. He walked over and sat next to her kneeling form and sat as she cried.

"I would send us to a point further back in time to stop him," said Lana, looking at Link with her tear-filled lilac eyes, "but we wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him. We've locked our point in this time period. We can't go to another now. If we did, time would be broken for Termina, unless the goddess of time herself gave us the power to do so. I don't think she's too pleased with me at the moment, to be honest." She placed her hand on the body of the goron child. "Please, forgive me."

Link didn't know what he could say. "Lana, if it wasn't them, it would've been someone else," said Proxi, floating to the two of them. It wasn't as cold in the village as it had been in the mountains.

"But it's all my fault!" Lana shouted. "If I hadn't been so stupid! If I hadn't thought that I could've stopped him by myself! If I had simply trusted you!" she looked even harder at Link, tears streaming from her eyes. "If I hadn't…" she trailed off, closing her eyes, turning herself away from Link.

Link didn't understand how she could possibly blame herself for everything wrong that had happened. He opened his mouth to try and say something, but before he could, Volga had stepped in front of him, lifting the sorceress off of the ground. He had suppressed his heat, though from this distance, Link could feel it.

Volga placed Lana on her feet, and bent over to look her in the eyes. "Do you know how many innocent lives I have _stolen_? How many people saw nothing but flames as their last sight, because I was told to do it?" Link was shocked to see any kind of confession come out of the dragon's mouth. He didn't even fully trust him to be around Lana, much less lecture her. "Do you think I blame myself?"

Lana stopped her whimpering and met the dragon warrior's silvery gaze. "N-no," she managed to say.

"I do," said Volga. "Every day I do. I allowed myself to do it, even if everyone says that Cia forced me to. Had she told you to kill, do you think you'd have done it, even under her spell?" Volga stood tall, and placed his hands on his helmet and lifted it off. He still had black markings around his eyes, which ended in sharp points, but the rest of his face was a surprise to see. He still seemed to be in his youth, yet it seemed that he had seen several lifetimes. His hair was wild and black, and his eyes beneath the markings were cold and gray.

"N-no," said Lana, looking into his eyes.

"How can you possibly blame yourself for lives you never took?" said Volga. Link's respect for him began to skyrocket, even if he wasn't sure about trusting him.

"I can't," she said, taking the end of Link's scarf and wiping her tears with it. She looked at Link, "I hope you don't mind." She smiled faintly, looking around the landscape. "I'm going to bury them, at least, so they can return to the earth as they love to do."

"I should've come sooner," said Link. When he'd heard that Lana was at the Gate of Souls, he put off seeing her. He was trying to spend time alone with the Princess, although it seemed almost impossible for him to do so while she was so busy with ordering people around. He had planned on visiting Lana, as he really did enjoy being around her, but it was only when he had gotten bored of Zelda's new orders.

"What?" said Lana, walking towards him. "You didn't do anything wrong, I mean, you saved my life!"

"More like you saved mine," said Link, remembering how she'd taken the poison away from him. "I should've visited you, maybe you'd have told me about Vaati."

"Probably," she said dismissingly. "We all have times we regret. Vaati's the one who has to pay for what he's done." She walked up to Link and hugged him. He felt good as he felt her arms around him, though he didn't quite understand why. "Just protect me here. You told me you'd always help, so now's the time to prove that." She left the embrace and pulled out her Sorceress Tome.

What followed was one of the most beautiful things Link had ever seen. Lana walked into the middle of the entire village, which was on an elevated rock formation. Around her were several holes which had been broken, leading into the homes below, though she paid them little mind. Link saw her clothes transform. What was once the attire of a playful mage was now the attire of a goddess. She had on what looked like a crown made of silvery cloth, and the dress of the same material which reached down to her calves. Her hair that was once blue was now white, and her silver shoes were heeled. She raised the Sorceress Tome to the air, and there was an extremely bright light that emanated from it, swallowing the entire scene.

When the light cleared, Link saw the bones of the stalchildren swirl like tornadoes and completely vanish from sight. The bodies of the gorons stayed put where they were, but they were all glowing. Several tears left Lana's face, and floated around to the groups where many of the gorons were laying. Lana began swaying in a dreamlike motion to direct the flow of her magic, and the tears each expanded into magic circles which swallowed the bodies of the gorons. When the bodies were all surrounded, each one compacted into a small ball of light, and Lana directed them to a small clearing, where they all began to shoot into the ground, though none of them broke it; they simply phased into it. Where every goron soul touched the ground, a small tree, shaped like the wings of the Hylian Crest, sprouted, each with different engravings written in Hylian.

Lana had performed a burial for all of them. Link thought it was the most beautiful, yet tragic thing he had ever seen. He walked to the new graves, as Lana finished with the last of the goron souls, and looked at one in particular. It had the goron's own name written across the wings of the crest.

Link had heard about Lana doing this before, after each battle, but he had never stuck around to see it until now. The fact that Lana even had this kind of power was amazing to Link, and he realized how he had severely underestimated her all of this time. _I guess being the Guardian of Time really did mean something_ , he thought. _She was part of Cia, after all._

As Link was admiring the new graves, Lana walked up behind him, startling him. She was back to wearing her former clothing, though her hair was no longer in the ponytail she usually kept it in. The waves of blue hair reached down to her waist. "It's not as good as when Zelda does it," said Lana. "All I could ever manage were graves of trees. Zelda was always able to make it specific to the species, like gorons would get rocky patterns, zoras would get something like crystalized water, stuff like that." Link saw that she still had dried tears on her face, though she had on a slight grin.

Link had never even seen Zelda perform a burial like that. It was apparent that Link really needed to start paying attention to more than just fighting the next villain. Lana stood there in front of him, admiring the graves with her lilac eyes. There were clouds which overshadowed the sunlight, making the mood seem gray, but the feeling of absolute peace had been brought on by Lana. "That was amazing," said Link honestly. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"Oh, Link," said Proxi, knocking him on the head. "That's because you always leave while everyone else cleans up!" There was a tinge of guilt he felt at the statement.

Lana smiled at Link, who simply smiled back. _I guess there's more to her than I realized,_ thought Link. Volga was sitting around the steps which led to another area, watching them as they stared at the new graves. His helmet had been placed back on his head.

"Hoo hoo! Look at what we have here!"

Link was startled by the sudden unfamiliar voice which reached them. He looked around to see where it came from, and what he saw utterly shocked him. It was an enormous owl, with what appeared to be massive eyebrows which slanted above his face, connecting to his beak. Link immediately drew his sword to combat the newcomer, and jumped in front of Lana, his shield in front of them.

"Long time, no see, Link," said the owl. "Or, I guess you've never seen me, but I know your history all too well, Hero of Legend." Link didn't like the idea of someone else who had stalked him across time, not after what Cia had done. Technically Lana was part of that, but he didn't see it that way. He trusted that she didn't spy on him.

"Who are you?" said Link, pointing his sword at the owl who had perched himself on a signboard which simply seemed too small to support his weight.

"Kaepora Gaebora," said the owl. "I don't mean to startle you, but I was wondering if this land would be blessed by the presence of another hero, such as yourself, given all that has been happening. It seems Majora's Mask has taken itself another host, though this time, a more brutal host who has no interest in simple destruction. I know it's probably none of your affair, but I believe you know of your responsibility to stop him?"

"Of course we do," said Lana, beginning to tie her hair back up in the ponytail. She placed the feather hairclip on it to keep it firm.

"Splendid, now let me tell you what you should do," began the owl. "There's…and…gorons...placing….Majora's Wrath….zora….Tingle….to do….not….to be…. and did you catch all of that? Should I tell you again?" Link hadn't paid attention to a single word the old owl spoke, but he dreaded the idea of having to listen to him again.

"Yes, we got it all," said Link. He just didn't want to go through that boring old voice all over again, but he was also sure that at least Lana had paid attention. He looked and saw that she had completely passed out on the floor, fast asleep. _How long was that owl talking?_ he thought.

The owl nodded and began to fly away before Link could get a chance to ask where they needed to go, but at the same time, he was sure they'd be able to figure it out. They were left alone, and the sun behind the clouds had begun to set, and darkness was settling. Link looked down at Lana, who was sleeping peacefully. She looked so cute, as she breathed heavily in and out, exhausted at the day's work. He decided it would be best if he woke her up, as they had no time to lose.

Volga walked to Link. "Do you know what the owl said?" he asked.

Link shook his head, as he placed his hand on Lana's shoulder and began to slightly shake her to wake her up.

"I didn't catch all of it," said Volga, "but he said there was a small skirmish going on near our location. Apparently it has something to do with some kind of secret power which the gorons kept hidden. Perhaps it's the Mask we're searching for, so I suggest we go quickly." Volga reached down and picked the drowsy Lana off of the ground and set her on her feet.

Lana swayed a bit from side to side, but she shook herself awake. "Ugh, wha'd I miss?" she stretched herself, clearly having gotten a good sleep. Link seriously wondered exactly how long he had been waiting there while the owl spoke.

Volga looked a bit annoyed at the two of them, who seemed so relaxed at the concept of continuing their journey into Termina. Lana looked back around them, seeing that they were preparing to trek up the staircase and go to the next location. Link was very unsure of what they were to do, even after going to the supposed skirmish. They didn't even know what to do in Termina, especially to find the Fierce Deity's Mask.

"We leave, now," said Volga walking up the stairs which led to a narrow pathway through one of the mountains. Link and Lana followed him. Link kept his sword drawn, unsure of what they would encounter.

They walked through the path in the mountains, and the scene which was being played out before them was indeed a sight to behold. Apparently not all of the gorons had been killed by Vaati. In fact, it looked as though hundreds of them had made it out alive, and were battling with an enormous horde of goblin-like creatures, the likes of which Link hadn't seen in Hyrule. They were ugly, green, and carried curved swords and clubs with spikes.

The landscape itself was green, though it was overshadowed by the clouds and the darkness, as the sun was going down. There were a few small islands which were connected by bridges, all around it was a small lake. On each island, there were gorons, clad in iron armor, with rocklike weapons battling with the goblin-creatures. The goblin creatures were also being assisted by groups of four-legged spiders. Link knew exactly which team to support, as he began to charge into the fray to help the gorons. Lana ran in right behind him, causing the grass on the first small island to grow rapidly and tangle themselves around the goblin-creatures as the gorons continued to pummel them with rocks.

Link began to slice away at the goblins who had fallen. Their blood stained his magic sword, as he continued to fight through their advancing forces. Lana followed him across the bridge and was in the heat of the battle, testing some of the new spells she found in her Sorceress Tome. The gorons didn't seem to question their inclusion, in fact, they were rallied by their support.

Link continued to cut down his enemies, as he made his way across the bridge. There were no keeps or other war rooms in this place. Their strategy had to be simple: kill or incapacitate every fighter on the enemy team. Link began to wonder if the gorons even had their own commander, so he found one of the bigger ones (traditionally, goron leaders were the largest of the bunch), and tried his luck. "Are you in charge, here?" Link asked, cutting the legs off of a few of the spider-like tektites.

"Our big brother is near the entrance to the track, up that hill!" replied the goron. Link nodded and began to run across the next two bridges, as Lana followed close behind him. Another enemy of which Link had never seen appeared in front of him again. It was a wolf that stood on his hind legs to swipe at his foes with his razor sharp claws.

Link swung his sword at the enemy, but was shocked by the resilience of the dog's arms as it shielded its body with them. It seemed as if they were blades in and of themselves. Link continued this assault until he realized that there was no hope in taking it down that way, and he tried to roll around it. The wolf's maneuverability was equally impressive, as it spun where Link spun and moved where he moved. Link knew he could defeat it, but he didn't want more time to be wasted.

The wolf suddenly burst into flames. Link looked expecting to see Volga, but only saw Lana with her Tome open and hand outstretched towards the wolf's now burning body. "Hurry! I'm fine here, just get to the Big Brother!" She turned and cast a wave of lightning at another group of the tektites, completely frying their bodies.

Link ran across the last bridge, and began to run up the hills which led to another cave. The hills were steep, but Link was able to push through by sprinting up. There was a large group of gorons battling with the wolfos, and Link thought he recognized a large figure using a giant hammer as a weapon. This goron wasn't the Darunia who Link had met in the Era of the Hero of Time, but he sure did look like him. He had the wild hair, but lacked the spikey beard which set Darunia apart. His arms were like trains, and though his stomach was round, it was solid.

Link reached the top and began to cut at the backs of the wolfos who were giving the gorons a hard time. He and the gorons managed to beat down the rest of the wolfos which surrounded them, and earned themselves a moment of rest. From this point, Link could see the rest of the battlefield. The lake was now teeming with the bodies of tektites, wolfos, and goblin-creatures. The last few of the enemy were being picked off by Lana, but Link couldn't see Volga anywhere nearby. _Now where's he run off to?_ thought Link.

Link was suddenly captured in an embrace that he thought would cause his own death. He felt his joints all pop, and he couldn't breathe. "Brother! You came back!" shouted a goron voice. He was let down and turned to face his attacker. It was the Darunia look-alike, and his smile was spread far across his face.

"Sorry, who are you?" asked Link, realizing again that they mistook him for the Hero of Time. "I don't think I am who you think I am."

"HA HA! Good hearted like I remember," said the goron.

"Look," said Proxi, shaking in the goron's face, "he's not the Hero of Time or anybody you could know. He is a Hero, but not from this age!"

The goron looked from the fairy to Link, and continued to smile. "My mistake, brother," said the goron. "But you look so much like the boy who played my lullaby almost ten years ago. My father, the Goron Elder, told me great stories of the boy clad in green."

"What do we call you?" asked Proxi.

"You can just call me Big Brother!" said Big Brother, smiling as he did so. He placed his massive hammer on the ground. The rest of the evil army began to retreat.

"What were they all doing here?" asked Proxi, referring to the evil army. "And how are so many of you gorons still alive? We saw your village back there, and it looked pretty beat up."

Big Brother's face turned to a frown as quickly as a flash of lightning at the mention of the village. "Some freak in a mask destroyed my village and drove us into hiding in the mountains a few days ago," said Big Brother. "And then he sent this army to try and take the weapon of the Hero which we've kept here for him."

Link saw that Lana was now performing another burial. She was dressed again in the beautiful silver clothes that she had worn earlier that day. "What weapon?" asked Link, turning his attention back to Big Brother.

"Well, our brother had a very nice Gilded Sword that he used here in Termina. Made from our special Golden Powder! Truly an unbreakable weapon," said Big Brother, proudly. "I felt that the sword was too short for a grown man, so in the case he ever came back, I had ordered an adult size version for him, should he'd have ever returned. Come with me! And bring your pretty friend along with you!"

Link waited for Lana to finish the burial. She quickly came up the hill to meet him outside of the cave which led to who knows where for the gorons. "Have you seen Volga anywhere?" asked Lana, whose blue hair had already been tied back up in a ponytail. "I didn't see him during the entire fight!"

"I have no idea," said Link. "But these gorons have something to show us in that cave. I say we follow them. It'll be a start!"

Lana smiled at Link again, which caused him to feel warm, as if a small fire was dwindling inside of him. "Sure! We'll worry about Volga later. He's not really very social anyways," said Lana. She added with a whisper, "Just get me in some serious trouble again, he'll come running."

Link chuckled at the comment which he agreed with so much. He and Lana walked into the cave after Big Brother. Link was expecting it to be dark, with no source of light. He couldn't have been more wrong.

The place they'd walked into was massive, with mountain ranges surrounding them on both sides. There were torches which illuminated the many gorons who had taken refuge there, all across the landscape. This was clearly a place they could find refuge from any intrusion, as long as enemies couldn't simply fly over.

"Mr. Fairy!" shouted a rather disturbing voice as he followed Big Brother to one of the caves. "Do you remember me?" Link saw the owner of the voice, and was completely put off by it. He was at least in his mid-forties, but he was really short, and he was wearing a skintight green suit which was pointed on his head, with a red speedo and belt to top it off. He also had a clock necklace which was displaying the wrong time.

"Proxi, please," said Lana, indicating that she speak to the disturbing man. Proxi flew over to the man who was out of place among the gorons and began to speak with him.

Link and Lana continued to follow Big Brother into another small cave in the side of one of the mountains. "I want to give the sword to you, brother," said Big Brother. "I have no use for it, and I'm sure the Hero won't be returning for it any time." In the cave, there was nothing but rock furniture and torchlight.

Big Brother told them to wait in a room alone while he went and retrieved the blade. Link was never one to deny free gifts.

He stood in the main room with Lana. Neither of them said anything, but it wasn't the kind of awkward silence that happens among two people who aren't familiar with each other. It was peaceful. Link felt completely comfortable standing with her, without having to say anything.

Big Brother returned to the room with a sword that practically equaled the length of the Master Sword itself. It was sheathed, though the hilt was impressive to say the least. "I know you're here to stop that masked freak, even if you aren't the same Hero I knew," started the goron. "So take this. It is the most durable and sharp blade you can possibly find in all of Termina." Link took the sword, honorably, from the goron's rough hands.

"Thank you," he said, keeping it within its scabbard. "Can you tell us anything about the Fierce Deity's Mask?" Link knew that he had to ask this goron. They had no other leads on which they could go.

Big Brother looked him in the eyes. "I don't know," he said. "I try to stay away from things like that, but I might know someone who can help you if you need to find your way around Termina."

Just then, the green clad man burst into the room, while Proxi was repeatedly ramming into his head. "Help me!" shouted the man.

"Here he is," said Big Brother, laughing at the comical scene with Link and Lana. "Tingle, the man who has maps to everywhere you could ever need to go!"

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 **Anybody who might question the legitimacy of Big Brother being full grown after ten years, refer to Link of the Gorons in Ocarina of Time. He's only seven, yet he appears to be full grown.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Great Bay

**I was slightly late on writing this chapter. I had to rewrite the original outline that I'd already set up. I actually added quite a bit more to the story. Originally I wasn't going to include this entire chapter, but thought of a lot of good plot points that I could use. I also didn't think I had enough time for Link and Lana's relationship to build in the small story I had planned.**

 **This is another chapter from Link's point of view. Don't worry, in the next chapter, we'll be going back to Lana, but rest assured, there are more Link chapters to come. If you think there needs to be some changes, let me know in the reviews. By changes, I don't mean in the story, but if you feel like something doesn't make sense or should be explained more deeply, feel free to let me know.**

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Link and Lana were having trouble controlling their laughter as the fairy continued to pound on Tingle's head as he was screeching. Big Brother was chuckling to himself as he walked over to end the scuffle without warning. He grabbed Tingle and hoisted him into the air by his blue backpack, and simply stared at Proxi until she gave up her assault on the poor man.

"Watch it, now!" shouted the Goron with gusto. "We're all on the same side!" He placed Tingle on a seat around his table, and took his own and gestured to Link and Lana to do the same.

Link didn't question his motives at all. He had an astounding amount of trust for this hulk of a being, and he couldn't quite understand why. Perhaps it was because of the resemblance that he bore to Darunia. He and Lana quickly sat to have the supposed conversation with Big Brother.

"I've got one last guest who should be joining us," said Big Brother, indicating the last vacant seat in the torchlight. "He should be arriving any time. He has important business to discuss with you."

Lana had a very puzzling look on her face. She refused to make eye contact with anyone, including Link. She was staring at the table in front of her, as the firelight bounced off of her face. Something was clearly bothering her.

"Tingle wants to help the fairy!" said Tingle awkwardly. "What can he do?" Link wasn't sure if the strange man was referring to him as the fairy or Proxi. It wasn't clear, but he was convinced he must've been referring to him.

"What can you do?" asked Link, honestly. Big Brother had said he'd be a good help to them, so now was the time to find out how.

Big Brother spoke up, "He has maps to all of Termina. If you need to go somewhere, he can tell you. Usually for a price, but given the circumstances…" Big Brother eyed Tingle with a stare of death, at which Tingle shivered uncontrollably, "he'll give you a discount."

"Yes! For only 100 rupees each map!" shouted Tingle, greedily. At the statement he was slapped by the saucer-sized hands of Big Brother, knocking him to the floor.

"I-I mean 20! Only 20!" said Tingle, scrambling back into his seat.

"That's more like it!" laughed the goron.

"I still don't get how that's useful," said Proxi, circling Tingle's watching eyes. "We don't need maps that much, honestly."

"I'm afraid you will," said Big Brother. "Termina is really a place to be afraid in. Monsters have started sprouting all over the place, and war is bound to break out. You said you're looking for the Mask? I'm afraid there's more work for you to do than that."

"Tell me," said Lana, breaking her silence, looking at Big Brother in the eyes. "How are all of you still alive? I watched what happened here last time the Mask had a host. The place was doomed to destruction after only three days, and Link's told me Vaati's been active here for eight. How are you all still alive?" Her question was definitely logical. Link had also been wondering how there were still gorons left in the first place, given how easily it seemed that they were destroyed in the village by Vaati alone.

"Because the Mask isn't at its full power yet," said the angry voice of a tall man who just walked into the room. He had a very large mustache, and his eyes were full of anger. He wore very elegant looking clothes, yet you could tell they were self-made. "In fact, the freak used most of his power destroying the goron village without realizing this."

"Gorman," said Big Brother, "I'm glad to see you made it here safely."

Lana looked intently at Gorman, who casually walked over to the last empty seat around the stone table and took a seat. "What do you mean he used most of his power?" asked Lana. Link didn't know much about Vaati, but if his magic worked anything like Lana's or Zelda's, one doesn't simply "run out" of magic. It's constantly restored.

"The Mask, I mean," said Gorman, making direct eye contact with Lana. "Even though it has been awakened, it's still drastically weaker than it used to be. Thank the goddesses for that." He looked back around to take in the scene.

"You," said Gorman, once he'd made eye contact with Link. "I'd been wondering when you'd show your girly face around here again." Link was really starting to get tired of being mistaken for the Hero of Time. _Do I really look that much like him?_ he thought.

"I'm not him," said Link, simply.

"Right, as if you don't remember ol' Gorman!" said the flamboyant man, as if insulted. "Bah, I don't care, as long as you are here to save us again." He took a bottle from beneath his red coat, and it was full of something yellow. He took the cork off the top and began to drink it heartily.

"How'd you know that Vaati doesn't have the Mask's power?" asked Lana as he continued to drink until the bottle was empty.

"He killed my brothers after we served him," said Gorman, a few tears escaping his bloodshot eyes. "The creepy imp was causing chaos all over Termina, so me and my brothers thought it would be profitable if we followed him. So we found him and began doing plenty of his dirty work for rupees here and there. It wasn't a bad way to survive, mind you. Even though the Mask had little power left, the bastard had tons of it for himself already. I don't even know why he was so obsessed with restoring the Mask's power anyways.

"I didn't want my brothers to die. Heh, I didn't get on well with my thieves of brothers, but we were in it to survive. The imp told me there was only one way to restore the Mask to its full power, and that he needed me alone to get it."

Lana looked relieved by the fact that the Mask didn't have the full power that it once possessed. Link didn't even know what to say, but was confident that with the Triforce of Courage, he could take down that wizard. Gorman looked back at Lana as he continued his speech.

"A Moon's Tear!" shouted the demented artist. "He told me to find a Moon's Tear! Bah! Like I knew what that was. I found it, though, oh yeah. He had my brothers hostage until I'd find it. Only two days ago when I actually managed to find out where one of the supposed two were. And just my luck, the Gerudo Pirates had it locked away in their fortress near the Great Bay. How in the…" he choked, "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO GET THAT?!"

He had tears streaming from his red eyes now, but Link had no idea what he could do to help this man's broken heart. He was sobbing uncontrollably, even Big Brother seemed at a loss for what he could tell him to calm him down so they could hear the rest of the story.

"I saved him," said Big Brother, thumping his chest over the sobs. "I saw his brothers get torn to shreds in front of his eyes at the imp's palace in Woodfall. I was there to try and stop him myself, but when I saw what he could do…" Link knew the rest of the story. They ran, and that's it. Gorman had received penance for his cowardice.

A sweet music began to play around the room. Link thought the melody was soothing and calm, easy to listen to, and felt his heart grow warm. He looked for the source and saw Lana playing a wooden, yet elegant looking piccolo. As the melody continued, Gorman's sobs began to simmer, and an overwhelming healing sensation took over Link's form. He stared at Lana intently, trying to figure out this new magic she was performing, while being mesmerized by the tune.

Even Tingle seemed to be completely at ease with the tune being played, and the mood in the dark home was eased. Lana's music began to trail off into the night, and Gorman's cries were no more a burden in the room.

"Okay," said Lana, putting the piccolo away, "please tell us what happened. I'm so sorry about your brothers, but trust me when I say they have room to make amends for their crimes. Many good men would've done the same thing in their situation."

Link wasn't sure if Lana was lying to him about his brothers or not, but he wasn't about to question the Guardian of Time on this one. They probably wouldn't, but it wasn't too late to have hope for them at least.

The tears were now staining Gorman's mustache, but there was an astounding sense of peace behind his eyes. "I… tried to retrieve the Tear from the Gerudo, but they tossed me aside. I tried to tell Vaati where it was, just hoping that he'd be satisfied to pick it up himself, but he decided that my brothers' deaths would keep me obedient to him. Apparently he's been weakened by the Mask, and that's why he didn't get the Tear himself. Not that his strength won't recover, but he didn't realize the toll it was taking on his powers to use it. Whatever he used to awaken the Mask, it wasn't enough to restore its full power. He believes the Moon's Tear will do that."

"You said there were two?" asked Lana, leaning towards him, with hope across her pretty face. "Where are they?" Link had a feeling they were about to try and find the Moon's Tears themselves, at least to keep Vaati from using the Mask to its full potential.

"I only know where one is," said Gorman, beginning to wipe his face to rid the tears. "It's been stuck in a chest at the Pirates' Fortress near the Great Bay. The other one is lost somewhere. As long as both are out there, we're in danger."

Lana stood up and strode over to Tingle, bending over to speak to him face to face. "And you can show us where these places are, right?"

"Y-yes," said Tingle, nodding his head rapidly. "Tingle can take you anywhere in Termina. Maps are only 20 rupees, too!" Lana smiled at him.

"That's very generous," said Lana. She stood back up to her full height, which wasn't much, but more so than the fairy wannabe. "So you'll show us the way."

Link was still trying to figure out what had just happened. What he could understand is that Gorman worked for Vaati with his brothers. Vaati was weakened by the Mask, yet he was recovering. The Moon's Tears, whatever they were, could apparently restore the Mask's true power, and there were only two of them, one of them being at a Pirates' Fortress near an ocean of sorts. It was definitely a start on where they needed to go. Only, Volga was still missing.

"Don't think too hard," said Proxi mockingly towards Link. "Just follow Lana, she knows what she's doing." Link decided that was definitely the best course of action.

"I won't let you go out tonight!" exclaimed Big Brother. "It's too dangerous to go out in the dark. You'll stay in my guestroom." Big Brother stood from his stone chair and grabbed Link by his tunic and began to drag him to an open door, much to the Hero's dismay. He threw Link through the door, and Link met the hard, rock earth. From the other room, he also heard Big Brother say to Lana, "And I'm sorry, but I don't have any other rooms, so you stay with my brother in there! Not you Tingle, you go to another house. They need their rest."

Lana was quickly thrown into the room and landed next to Link, letting a few grunts escape her lips. Proxi floated into the room, and it was slightly illuminated by her soft glow. There were a few raised platforms of rock that Link could only assume were supposed to be beds. "It's fit for a true goron, so I hope you two get comfortable!" shouted Big Brother as he closed the door and went back to discuss further with Gorman.

Link looked around, but saw nothing but the rock beds, which were all shrouded in darkness, but for the little light that was let off by Proxi. "Seems… comfy," said Link sarcastically. He wasn't looking forward to sleeping on rock.

"Don't worry," said Lana, flipping through her spellbook on the ground, "I've got something that'll help with that." She read a few words from the book and Link saw a few sparks of magic float around him and to the supposed bed he would be sleeping on. A few more reached the bed adjacent to his, though he wasn't sure of what effect they would have. "I hope you don't mind if I take the bed next to yours," said Lana, as if slightly embarrassed.

Link wasn't bothered by that idea at all. After all he'd seen her do that day, he had so many things that he wanted to talk with her about. He smiled at her to let her know that it was okay, and he walked to his bed. When he sat on it, he was pleasantly surprised at how comfy it felt, and at the same time, how cozy it felt around him, as if he was swaddled in a blanket.

"That spell's pretty handy," said Link, lying down after taking off his boots. He wanted to take some of his armor off, but felt a little embarrassed that Lana was sitting across from him. What she was wearing seemed fine for sleep, but his own dressing was heavy and rattling.

"It's one of the new spells from this book," said Lana, staying seated on her bed, keeping her eyes on Link. "I'd been wondering what good it would be." She read another spell from her book and Link felt as though his chainmail and other small pieces of armor had been taken off, yet they were still attached to him. "There, another one. I thought you looked a bit uncomfortable in that." She started to lie down, but Link sat up before she could do so.

"What was that song you played earlier?" asked Link. He couldn't stop thinking about the peace he felt when it was played.

Lana looked surprised at his question, but smiled nonetheless. "It's called the Song of Healing. It's a special song that the Happy Mask Salesman taught the Hero of Time on his journey here. It's supposed to bring peace to troubled hearts and souls." Link was surprised that she knew so much about Termina, despite their being there for such a short time.

"How do you know that?" he asked simply.

"Well, after the Mask Salesman first told me where he was from and what happened to Majora's Mask, I used my power to see what happened here the first time, so that I'd have an idea of what I could've been up against. The Hero of Time did amazing things here. After he left, though, I couldn't find him again. He simply disappeared in the Lost Woods as he did when he found Termina." Lana was beginning to have droopy eyes. It had been a very long day for the both of them.

"What else do you know about the Hero of Time?" asked Link. He didn't quite know why he was so curious. Perhaps it was simply putting the puzzle pieces together, or maybe he just wanted to hear Lana speak more.

Lana smiled widely, her thin lips parting to show her teeth. "What don't I know?" she said jokingly. "He's one of my favorite incarnations of the Hero of Legend. He did so many incredible things, from time travel, to fighting off wicked spirits, to saving Hyrule from Ganondorf the first time he appeared." Lana began to talk her heart away as Link listened to her. The night was young when they entered Big Brother's hideout, but by the time Link remembered falling asleep, the moon was high in the sky. His head was full of the tales Lana had told him about the Hero of Time. Or rather, his head was full of Lana telling him the stories. He wasn't quite sure which it was, though it helped his night be full of peaceful thoughts, helping him be ready for the adventure they were going to start the next day. He didn't mind that Lana was still wearing his scarf as they fell asleep.

* * *

Link was abruptly awoken by the bouncing Proxi, "Hey! Lazy boy! The sun's been up for hours!" Link reluctantly sat up and began to rub his eyes. The room was as dark as it had been the night before, albeit there was sunlight filtering in through the open door. Lana was already out of bed, and Link felt the spell over the bed was beginning to wear off, as if to ensure that he wouldn't go back to it. He quickly stood up and walked out to meet his company.

The sight was something to behold. Big Brother was eating what looked like rocks, though it was shaped like a big ring of meat. Lana was chasing Tingle around the room. Tingle had a lot of breakfast foods in his hands, from cucco eggs to cow milk. Link felt a ping of hunger in his stomach and chased the fairy man down. He cornered him as Lana grabbed the eggs and milk from his hands. "You need to share this with us!" shouted Lana as she walked over to the rocky stove.

"But Tingle doesn't have that much!" shouted Tingle back at her. "Tingle is still trying to survive with the little money he has left!" Tingle walked back to the table, defeated at the forced generosity. He sat with his head on the table, staring longingly at the wall.

Lana summoned herself an apron and a frying pan, causing a small fire to erupt itself on the rock stove. Link took a seat at the table, as Big Brother continued to chow down on his rocks. "Where's Gorman?" asked Link.

"My friend left for Clock Town early this morning," said Big Brother, with rocks in his mouth. "He has business he needs to attend to there. Remember, we're still trying to find the other Moon's Tear. Until both are destroyed, we aren't safe."

The smell of frying eggs reached Link's nose, and his mouth began to water. He hadn't eaten anything since they left Hyrule, and his stomach was churning. "Tingle, we also need the bread from your bag. Eggs and milk aren't enough," said Lana in a demanding tone. Tingle looked mortified, but he brought a loaf of bread from within his blue backpack and handed it to Lana.

"Tingle knew he should've eaten breakfast before coming here," said the defeated Tingle.

Great Bay. That was where they had to go. After breakfast, Link, Lana, and Tingle departed from the hospitality of Big Brother, and they had a straight course to Great Bay. A faction of goron troops followed after them as per Big Brother's orders. Big Brother had warned them that there might've been some kind of battle taking place as the zoras were also in a resistance against Vaati's forces. Apparently Tingle also didn't know where the Pirates' Fortress was, so they needed a zora to tell them. Someone who was familiar with the area.

"Right this way!" shouted Tingle. He was floating with a massive red balloon in front of Link's squad, high above where they were. There was an actual path to reach Great Bay from Snowfall, but because of Tingle, they went for a straight course. It was rocky and awkward, but it was going to be much safer and faster than to go through the fields which were apparently swarming with wolfos and stalchildren.

"Wait up, weirdo!" Lana exclaimed back up to the floating wonder. "I don't wanna be too tired to fight by the time we get there! Besides, we need to make sure we keep the gorons hidden. We don't want to use them unless we have to!" They continued to follow Tingle across the breezy mountain range until they were on a steady downward slope.

In their view they could see a beach which was lined with the ocean. From where they were walking, they couldn't see any living thing there. Link was beginning to have a very bad feeling about what they were walking into.

"It doesn't look like anybody's home," said Lana, as they drew closer to the bay. "Don't tell me…" She had on that same guilty look that she had at the goron village, though without the despair and self-loathing that accompanied it the first time.

Link was trying to think of anything that could make her feel better about what may have happened to the zoras, but was at a loss for words. _Why would Vaati even bother with the zoras?_ thought Link. _Unless… Gorman didn't tell him where the Fortress was._

"Are we sure that Gorman's on our side?" Link asked Lana.

"I wouldn't say he's on our side," said Lana, stepping over a few rocks, finally making it to the beach. "But he's definitely against Vaati. How would you feel if the only people you cared about were killed?" When she said this, her purple eyes widened. "Wait a minute. I know who we have to find."

Link wasn't sure what to expect. Lana had seen the history of this place, did that mean she knew about each individual person, too? Link wondered about how much she had actually studied before they came. "Who?"

"Before Gorman went back to his brothers, he was a troupe leader. He had a problem with this one band… I can't remember the name of the band, but every member was a zora. Maybe that's how he found the tear! One of the band members must have told him where it was!" They were now at the shore, and in the distance across the sea, Link could see a large rock that was shaped like a fish. Around them were palm trees and waterfalls, leading off to another place they weren't interested in going. In fact, they weren't quite sure where they were going. Link could feel the warmth of the sun tanning his skin.

The cool breeze of the ocean was coursing over them, and Link wondered why Gorman didn't simply tell them where to find the Fortress themselves. "You don't think…?" he started.

"He never even knew where it was?!" shouted Proxi loudly. The realization struck Link, Lana, and Proxi like a hammer to the thumb.

"I really wish we'd had more time to talk to him," sighed Lana. "He just left without warning, and Big Brother wasn't much help in forcing us out the door either. We're blind."

Link was beginning to wonder why the place was called Great Bay. It was more like a cove where they were standing. There were rock formations all over the place, including palm trees standing on rocky platforms just yards away from where the water met the sand. There were also a few remnants of old buildings which told Link that there used to be a population of humans there along with zoras, but they hadn't been there in many years.

"Where do we go?" asked Proxi. Tingle was still floating above them, not saying anything. Link pulled out his bow, strung and arrow, and let it fly at Tingle's balloon. Confetti burst from the inside and Tingle screeched as he fell to the ground, landing perfectly.

"Heyyy!" shouted Tingle indignantly. "Why did you pop Tingle's balloon? He was just doing his job!" He was stomping on the ground as his face started to glow almost as red as the balloon he had.

"We need a map of this place," said Lana, handing him a red rupee. "We don't know where we should go."

Tingle swiped the red rupee greedily and pulled an old parchment from his backpack and handed it to Lana. "Tingle Tingle, Kooloo Limpah!" shouted the odd fellow as he threw confetti into the air, much to Lana's apparent surprise. "These are Tingle's magic words!"

She shook the surprised look off of her face and began to look at the map. "We should at least try and see if there are any surviving zoras, or even where they might be," said Lana.

Link felt uneasy standing where they were. He looked up at the waterfall, cascading for hundreds of feet. There were several palm trees sticking out of the sides around the waterfall, and Link was wondering why nobody, even villains, were around. It felt like they were about to get ambushed.

"We should go," said Link. He drew the new Guilded Sword, holding it firmly in case he needed to use it.

"Tingle, did you see anything while you were up there?" asked Proxi. She flew up to him, and Link knew that Proxi would be the best to talk to him, as was his obsession with fairies.

"Tingle didn't see anything," said Tingle. His odd way of speaking of himself in the third person was beginning to get on Link's nerves. "Except for a strange old man down the coast who was staring at Tingle through a telescope. He was on a small island, so Tingle didn't think it mattered."

Link immediately jumped in front of Lana with his shield held in front of him as an arrow collided with it. It was definitely an ambush. Link continued to hold his shield in front of Lana as he yelled, "Take cover! Everyone find somewhere and duck!" He looked back at Lana who was already holding her Sorceress Tome, casting a shield over herself and Link.

Link lowered his shield and looked at the arrow which had bounced off of it. He picked it off of the sand to examine it, and was comforted by the fact that the gorons had all found themselves shelter from the impending ambush. The arrow was crudely fashioned out of what looked like fish bones. This was no arrow from Vaati's troops.

"Looks like they think we're the enemy," sighed Lana. "Which means we can't fight with all of our strength. We need to find their leader!" She turned around to face the gorons who were behind all sorts of rocks, palm trees, and some had even quickly buried themselves in the sand. Link turned back to the coast to see where the arrow had flown from, and noticed that Lana's shield spell had apparently stopped a dozen more. They were coming from the water, backing Link and his crew towards the waterfall. Zoras, clad in armor and wielding all sorts of fish bone weapons were beginning to charge towards Link and his faction.

"Everyone! Remember that they are not the enemy!" shouted Lana, addressing their goron soldiers. "Don't be afraid to hold back, but don't even think about creating any orphans out there! If you think you might die, throw down your weapons or rocks or whatever you're using and let them take you!" Lana turned back to Link and said in a more hushed voice, "I can only hope that after what they've been through, they can still have mercy." Link was amazed that even now Lana was still more concerned about the lives of the mistaken enemy than her own. Let alone her concern for the children of their foes.

"How do you do that?" asked Link. He was a bit distracted from the fight as he looked at the sorceress.

"Do what?" asked Lana, looking confused as to why Link would ask that in the preparation for battle.

"Never mind," said Link, spinning around to face his foes. "I'll tell you later." Link didn't know what he kept feeling in his chest whenever he looked at Lana now; it didn't make sense, but he was going to make sure she was protected no matter the cost. Her hopeful lilac eyes were still caught in his mind.

"Tingle!" shouted Link, as he began to charge towards the zoras with his shield in front of him. "Where would their leader be?" The sand wasn't easy to run in, but Link was still confident in his ability to take down the zoras. His plan with the Guilded Sword was to break their weapons and bash them with the shield to knock them out.

"Tingle doesn't know!" shouted Tingle, as he was filling up another balloon to do who knows what with it. "But Tingle knows that the zoras live in a place called Zora Cape, which is right there!" He was pointing at an island which had a gaping door and large stone fish tail that was situated on the top. It wasn't much to go on, but it was a start.

The goron troops followed Link, and Lana was still shouting orders to all of them, making sure they understood that they were not going to kill. "Link, please go and find the old man who Tingle was talking about!" said Lana, her voice being broadcast across their forces. "Ask him where you can find the zora leader!"

"Will do!" shouted Proxi as she followed Link into battle. Link met the first of the dozens of zora troops who had come from the water. He quickly cut the foe's bone spear in two with his razor sharp blade and bashed him with the shield, knocking him out cold. He continued this attack strategy, knocking even some of their apparent captains in the process as he fought his way through to an opening. The goron troops were also obedient to Lana's demands, overpowering the zoras with their brute strength. The weapons the zoras held were tough, but they would break against the rock hard backs of the gorons.

Link found an opportunity to run to the "small island" Tingle was talking about, but found that it was actually a building which was escalated above the water, leading to a ladder with a wooden platform. The building was shaped like a bomb with a hook on its top, and zora troops were lined along the coast to guard it. The old man was standing on the platform in front of the building, his telescope at his side. Link rand a straight line for the water and easily defeated the zoras who were meant to keep him from the water's edge.

Link dove into the ocean. The warm water soaked him instantly, and he started to swim towards the building. It was a bad idea. As he was swimming, he noticed that a dozen zora troops started to converge on him, and they were much faster than he could've hoped to be in the water.

"Link, be careful!" shouted Proxi, as one zora passed him, attempting to slash him with a bone sword as he did so. Link deflected the blow, but wasn't able to break the weapon, as the water slowed his sword down significantly. The next zora hit Link in his leg, and he felt blood begin to gush from the wound. Link didn't know what he could do against these zoras in the water. He was swinging his sword wildly, but it was pointless.

Another zora stabbed him in his shoulder, and he couldn't breathe as he began to sink in the water. Suddenly the water around him became as cold as ice. He looked around him and saw that the zoras had been frozen where they were. He also saw an ice bridge form to reach the platform he was aiming for. Lana had saved him again. "I guess that makes us even," he heard her voice say in his head. "Next time, ask for the ice bridge before going to fight sea creatures in the sea." Though he was in severe pain, he couldn't help but chuckle as he swam to the cold bridge.

He hoisted himself onto the bridge and started to run the rest of the way to the platform. He saw the old man standing exactly where he had before, as if he was embracing the possibility of death. He had an extremely large jaw and buggy eyes, and was as short as Tingle. He was wearing a blue lab coat, and his overbite was distracting to say the least.

"I see you've no intention to kill any of us," said the old man, "so why do you fight?" Link stopped in front of him. Proxi immediately flew to the man's face.

"You're the ones who are attacking us!" shouted Proxi. "Why are you doing that?"

"We saw an entire army being led to us by two people we've never seen before," said the man, "what would you have done?" The man's logic was solid, but Link still felt a tinge of resentment towards him. "Though now that I think about it, you do seem quite familiar." Link was waiting for the mistake to be made once again as to his identity. "Ah, as an old man such as myself, it's impossible to know. Oh well." The man was talking pretty lightly for the situation at hand. Link turned to see if Lana was standing at the coast, but she was nowhere to be seen. She had apparently gone back to help the gorons near the waterfall. There were plenty of zora and goron troops lining the beach where Link had come from now.

"Where's your leader?" Proxi asked the old man. "Tell them to call off the attack!"

"I'm sure they'll notice you aren't killing any of them in no time," he said lightly. "But if you insist, Lulu can be found in the Zora Cape. Can't miss it." Link was amazed at his easiness at the situation, and his willingness to simply give away their leader's location so easily.

"Lana!" shouted Proxi through the network.

"I heard," said Lana back. "I'm on my way, don't worry!"

Link was confident that Lana would be the one who was able to talk sense into anyone. He turned to look at the ice bridge which now extended all the way to the sandy beach. He saw that the gorons were continuing to overpower the zoras, and was sure that they'd be able to continue doing so as long as they stayed out of the water. There were three old huts which lined the edge of the beach, and Link wondered about the old inhabitants as he left the old man to gawk at everything he saw.

What he saw next was disconcerting. The gorons were beating the zoras, to be sure, but just as the battle was beginning to reach an end, Link saw a disturbing sight from one of the huts. _Skulltulas?_ he thought. _Why skulltulas?_

What looked like hundreds of skulltulas began to funnel from the hut on the right, and they began to attack the gorons and the zoras indiscriminately. To the left of the huts, there was a legion of wolfos that started to run towards the battle. "No!" shouted Proxi. "Vaati's sending his forces here!"

Link ran across the rest of the ice bridge, being careful not to slip and fall off. He reached the skirmish and Proxi yelled, "Stop attacking the zoras and focus on Vaati's troops!" The gorons turned their attention to the skulltulas which were now swarming all around their legs, smashing them under their enormous feet. The zoras also ceased their attack on the gorons and began to cut down the wolfos that were beginning to invade the beach.

"Link, this is just a scouting party!" he heard Lana shout. "Vaati's not here!"

Link began to kill the wolfos and the skulltulas who dared to cross his path, making sure they wouldn't take advantage of the defeated zoras and gorons who were knocked out on the ground. The battle continued as Link slashed each wolfos down.

After a while, the skulltulas stopped coming and the wolfos were all lying on the floor. Link surveyed the battlefield, noticing that the zoras and gorons were no longer fighting, but resting from the wounds they'd received from each other and the enemies.

An unfamiliar female voice broke across the airwaves, "Put off your attack on the gorons and their allies. Escort the green one to us at Zora Cape." Her voice was beautiful, and sounded very pure. It must've been Lulu.

Before he knew it, he was standing in a large cave which was illuminated by dozens of bright torches and an enormous shell. This was definitely where the zoras called home. There was a small river of water surrounding the shell, and Lana was standing in the center, surrounded by zoras, talking to… Princess Ruto? She looked exactly like her, save for the fact that she wasn't naked, but wearing a purple dress.

Link jumped across the small river and ran to meet Lana. "Link, she says that she can tell us where the Pirates' Fortress is!" exclaimed Lana at the sight of her Hero.

Lulu walked to Link across the shell she was standing on. She looked into Link's eyes, smiling as she did so. "You remind me of the boy who saved my voice," said Lulu. "Oh, he brought so much peace to me and my children. Mikau's children. Please, stay with us tonight. I have so much to tell you, young hero, and not much time to do so." He looked at Lana, who was still wearing the blue scarf. She was smiling at him. He couldn't help but to smile back, worried about what it was that Lulu had to tell them. What was so important.


	6. Chapter 6: Planning Ahead

**Welcome back, my few readers! I'm glad that it seems that more and more people are taking notice to this! I'm really grateful for the reviews I've been receiving so far, and I promise to keep pumping out these chapters every week for you (but mostly for me).**

 **Those of you who have been waiting and waiting for more Link x Lana action will be very pleased with this chapter, as it finally begins to capture that. I had to sacrifice a big battle scene to have room for it, but I hope you guys can all forgive me for that one.**

 **I love it, though. This chapter finally takes a new turn. I also need to admit that much of my inspiration for this chapter is rooted in a fanfic called** _ **Firefly**_ **by Blizzaga Saga. I had been wondering how to write a good scene for romance, and I'd been reading that one a lot lately. Credit where credit is due right? No plagiarism or anything, just inspiration that contributed to a scene I wanted to include, but wasn't sure how.**

* * *

Lana was feeling a bit sore, and she didn't know what to expect as Princess Ru—Lulu invited them to stay the night with her and the zoras. It wasn't exactly a good time for her and Link to be staying anywhere for too long, but they didn't have much of a choice but to listen. They didn't know where to go, and if Lulu really did have something important to tell them, they needed to hear it.

"What do you mean you don't have much time?" asked Lana, sincerely.

"Haven't you noticed the state of our soldiers?" replied Lulu, turning to face the sorceress. "Did you not wonder why it was so easy for your gorons to overpower us, despite your reservation of violence?"

Come to think of it, it was way too easy. The zoras were pushovers, they had been easily tossed around by the might of the gorons and Lana's magic. Not to mention the sheer number of their small faction of gorons severely outnumbered that of the zoras. The wolfos and skulltulas had also taken quite a number of gorons and zoras with them to the earth.

Lana looked around the vast cave, illuminated by the reflecting light of the water. The air was somewhat humid, and the water seemed warm. It looked as though it could house hundreds of zoras, and she didn't even know about the area around the Cape. There were doors upon doors to rooms, making the place appear to be some kind of massive inn.

"You've lost a lot of zoras in the past few days," sighed Lana, realizing the plight of their new allies. "And you guys haven't had any rest at all since the Mask returned." While there were hundreds of rooms along the walls, there were only a few dozen zoras around them. Many of the others were outside, but it still didn't make up for the apparent lack. When they encountered the zora soldiers in battle, even what looked like the strongest among them were easily tossed aside by the lower goron troops.

"We've been getting slaughtered ever since the destruction of Snowfall Village," said Lulu, as tears began to well up in her eyes, unexpectedly. "We tried to help the gorons when we'd heard what happened, but upon going through Termina field, we were outnumbered, outmatched, and our enemies pursued us back to this place where they continued their murderous treatment. I only just made it," she said, pulling one sleeve of her dress down to reveal several wrappings around her shoulder, spotted with blood from a somewhat fresh wound. "We took to the waters and have been hiding out ever since. Only nine days, and we've been pushed to the brink of utter destruction.

"It was never my desire to be the leader of my people here. I was once the lead singer of a band called the Indigo-Gos, and that was when my life was ruled in happiness. Then the Masked imp came, killed my beloved Mikau, leaving me a widow with six children. Then it was revealed that I held the bloodline of ancient zora rulers, and so I became their leader amidst this war. _Me!_ A simple singer! Ten years ago seem like heaven. Even over the past ten years through my struggles, I've been happy with my children, but they haven't had the joy I wanted for them."

Lana walked over to Lulu, placing her hand on her shoulder. "I've seen plenty of what you've done for your children, Lulu," said Lana comfortingly. "Don't tell me that you don't think they've been joyful." Lana had looked upon the fates of certain Terminians after the Hero of Time's departure from them. Lulu's hadn't been bad; she lived as a queen among the zora people, and her children were able to have everything they ever wanted, save a father. Perhaps these past few days have brought back her demons.

"I… enough of that," said Lulu, wiping the fresh tears from her eyes. "Let's go to where you'll stay tonight so that I can tell you what you need to hear." She walked away from Lana and Link, and some of her subjects followed her. Lana looked over at Link, and saw him smiling at her. Apparently he was impressed with what she told Lulu.

Lana flushed a bright red, and quickly looked away from Link's grin. _Why does he keep looking at me like that?_ she thought. Over the past day they've been in Termina, Lana had caught Link smiling at her on several occasions. It's not like he never did that before they came to Termina, but now there was something else in his blue eyes.

"W-we should follow Lulu!" she exclaimed, a little too loudly. "Remember we need to find the Tear as fast as we can!" She began to retreat to the door Lulu was gesturing to across the room.

"How much do you know about Termina?" Link asked quickly before Lana made it across the trench.

Lana stopped and turned to face Link. "I did a lot of research, though it was brief in a lot of ways. I'd find out what happened, but never really how it happened. I'd see some people become happy after the Hero saved them, and then check on that happiness a few years later. I could never pinpoint when or where people were, but generally I could find them if I looked long enough."

"Why did you do it?" asked Link. Lana wasn't sure what he was getting at. He didn't usually ask questions at all, so why now? "I mean; why did you check on them?"

Lana was surprised at the depth of the question. "I just… love seeing happy endings," said Lana, slightly embarrassed as she told Link her biggest hobby. "One reason I know so much about the Hero of Time, or any of your past incarnations in general, is because you usually create more happy endings than anyone else ever has…" Her voice trailed away as she thought about the ending she was destined to have.

Before the events of the War Across the Ages, Lana's, or Cia's, destiny was clear and easy to see. There was no significant other who would come to sweep her off her feet. She would stare endlessly into the Gate of Souls, watching history unfold time and time again. However, ever since the Happy Mask Salesman visited her, Lana had tried several times to see her destiny again, but there was nothing. She couldn't understand what it meant. "A happy ending is always the best part..."

"And what about yours?" asked Link. Lana didn't know what to think. She didn't want Link to know of her love for him, at least not yet. _Not yet?_ she thought. _Was I planning to tell him at all?_

Before Lana had a chance to answer him, a giggling Tingle appeared at her side and pushed her into the clear water. As she was engulfed in the warm water, she swore revenge upon the little man, but was also relieved that she didn't have to answer Link's question yet. It could wait for another time. Or never, that sounded good, too.

Lana swam to the surface as quickly as she had fallen in, and hoisted herself out onto the sleek floor. She coughed out the small amount of water which had found its way into her lungs. She was drenched, which disappointed her. She had made a specific effort to keep herself dry during the whole battle, and was completely successful until this moment.

"Oh!" exclaimed Lulu, running over to Lana. "I'm so sorry!" She stretched out her hand to Lana. Lana grabbed her hand, taking it in a firm grip, as Lulu's hand felt slippery enough without the water coating Lana's hands. She was helped back to her feet, and she saw Link stepping towards her, with an irritating smirk on his face. For someone who had been asking so many serious questions, he seemed awfully smug now.

"What's so funny?" smeared Lana. She had a devious thought as Link leapt over the trench of water which now separated them. She abused her telekinesis, causing Link's momentum to halt mid-jump. He was floating motionless in the air, held by Lana's power.

"H-hey!" shouted Link, trying to move, but to no avail.

"What? You clearly thought it was hilarious," said Lana, almost forgetting what she was planning for Tingle.

"Please do it!" shouted Proxi, flying over the trench, giggling as she did so. "He deserves it."

"What about my leg? Or my shoulder?" questioned Link, hoping to appeal to Lana's sensibility.

"Nice try," said Lana, slowly lowering his body into the water. "But you drank a red potion as soon as the fight was over."

"Lana—!" and sploosh! Lana slammed Link into the water, causing an eruption which completely soaked Lana again, though she didn't care this time. Her damage was already done.

She burst into laughter at the sight of her Hero climbing out of the trench. He looked so frustrated, and yet he couldn't hide the mischievous smile on his face. He reached out to grab Lana, as if to pull her back into the water, but stopped his pursuit out of nowhere. A serious look appeared on his face, and he looked at Lulu, and Lana knew exactly what he was thinking. _We don't have time for joking around_ , she thought. She was disappointed that the fun had to stop so soon.

"S-sorry," she said to Lulu, who had a slight grin on her wet face. "I…" her words trailed away, as she had no way to excuse her nonsense.

"Don't worry," said Lulu, turning around and walking through an open door in the sapphire wall. "It's been far too long since we've had a laugh like that."

Lana and Link followed her through the doorway. Tingle didn't follow them, however. He was preoccupied with drawing every detail of the room they were sitting in on a piece of parchment. Lana closed the shell-like door behind them and turned to see the room they were now standing in. It was glowing a slightly blueish glow, and Lana had no idea how it worked. It was beautiful. There were odd instruments all around the room, all seeming to be made of fish bones.

"This is my room," said Lulu, beckoning them to sit on the floor. She didn't seem to care that it was wet everywhere.

Lana, already soaked, didn't care about getting a bit more wet from the ground. She took a seat, leaning back on her hands to keep herself comfortable. Link also took his own seat next to Lana, but he crossed his legs as best he could to keep himself supported. Lulu sat in front of them, placing her hands on her knees which bent in front of her.

"I'm sorry I don't have any chairs or anything else to sit on in here for you," sighed Lulu. "We're not used to having visitors, and unlike the gorons, we can't just make everything out of rocks." Lana couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but decided not to laugh. The look on Lulu's face seemed as if she wanted to scream underneath the tidal wave which had overcome her world, but she was still as calm as the sea. "My children have been playing around this hall, completely unaware of the war that has been going on outside. I can't tell them about how all of their friends who haven't come back are…"

Lana was distracted by a mask that was hanging upon the wall. It was shaped like the face of a zora, and immediately Lana knew exactly what it was. It was hanging beside an old fish bone guitar, and a pictograph of Lulu standing next to a zora who had tattoos lining his body.

Lulu noticed Lana's staring eyes and said, "That's Mikau. He was my husband many years ago, but was killed by those Gerudo Pirates when they kidnapped my children." She looked back down to the floor, not willing to meet Lana's hopeful eyes with her doubtful ones. Lana couldn't help but feel pity for her, and yet she couldn't believe that in just nine days her hope had been crushed as it was.

"You were going to tell us about how to get to the Pirates' Fortress?" asked Link, trying to overcome the feeling of despair in the room. Lana was surprised to hear such an abrupt question from the Hero, but agreed with it. They needed to get the Moon's Tear before Vaati could get his greedy hands on it.

"I'm sorry," said Lulu, still avoiding their eyes, "I was distracted for a moment. I was just reminded of how Mikau had teased me in the way that the two of you had, and I just thought that maybe if he was here, things wouldn't have gotten so bad. But enough of that!"

Something Lulu said struck Lana in a way she hadn't expected, and she was surprised that out of all that she had said so far, this was what she heard louder than anything. _I was just reminded of how Mikau had teased me in the way that the two of you had._ It made her happy, that she could be compared to someone with such a powerful love for her husband as Lulu. Towards Link, nonetheless. Lana looked at Link, and what she saw shocked her more than the statement. _Is he blushing?_ she thought. She didn't want to think too much of it, but there he was, blushing at the same comparison she had clearly been thinking of.

Lana shook herself from the fantasy that was building in her head, looking away from her blushing Hero. "T-that's the spirit!" she proclaimed awkwardly. She had let her thoughts take her too far. No way, Link wasn't picturing the same thing she was in her head. "So where can we find the Pirates' Fortress?" She just wanted the situation to be over with.

"Well, that's the problem," said Lulu, finally taking her eyes off of the floor to meet Lana's. "The entire place is surrounded by giant walls, and guards are constantly on patrol all around it. I only know of one person who ever infiltrated the place unharmed."

"The Hero of Time," muttered Lana. She knew of the story, regardless of whether or not she knew how it happened. "His name was Link, wasn't it?" said Lana, more audibly.

"H-how did you—?"

"Because I'm the Guardian of Time," said Lana. She didn't care if anyone knew her true identity. "I know what the Hero did to help you, and I know exactly what that mask up there is."

Silence filled the room. Lulu looked surprised and upset at herself for not treating her guests with more respect. Lana didn't care for any kind of special treatment. "It has the spirit of my husband, Mikau. Apparently the boy, Link, used it to take my children back from the dreadful place."

"Do you know how to get in?" asked Lana, growing impatient. At her outburst, Lana felt ashamed. She just attacked a woman who was in more pain than she could imagine, and yet she hardly felt any guilt for it. "Sorry," she added quickly, trying to ease the situation. This wasn't something she could fix by playing the Song of Healing again.

"Heh, don't worry," said Lulu, standing up and walking to the wall where the mask hung. "I've been acting quite horribly, and I'm sure it hasn't been easy on your patience." She grabbed the mask and brought it over to Link. She motioned for him to stand in front of her. "This is my husband's spirit. I'm not sure if it still works or not, but…"

Link stood from the ground and grabbed the mask. He examined it in the air above him, looking at it with curiosity. "What's that supposed to do for us?" asked Proxi, rather rudely. "I mean, sure it's special, but why in the world would you give it to Link?" When Lana told Link about the Hero of Time's adventures, she left out most of Termina, as she was distracted by the story of the Temple of Time and the Master Sword. Link and Proxi had no idea about the power of the masks.

"When Link put it on," said Lulu, forcing a smile, "he would transform into a zora. Rather, he would become Mikau, with every ability that he possessed. I don't know you, but I know that you are someone who can help us. What is your name?"

"Link," said the Hero.

Lulu didn't speak for a few moments, as she pondered the meaning behind why this man she'd never met had the same name, and even looked exactly as their hero had. "What is the meaning of that?"

"It's a long story," said Lana, standing from the floor. "But to put it shortly, if you wanted your Hero to come and save you all again, you have your wish granted." She felt pride in the Hero she was privileged to be with.

"I…" started Lulu, as a ray of hope began to shine from her face, "I don't understand." She placed one of her hands on Link's cheek, causing an unsettling feeling to fester in Lana. "It _is_ you, isn't it? I didn't think we'd ever see you again." She took her hand from him, with peace beginning to surround her like an aura. Link or Proxi didn't protest to being mistaken for the Hero of Time again. In fact, the look on Link's face told Lana that he was embracing the idea. In fact, he was the Hero of Time in a way. "Had I the food, we would have a feast in your honor!" For the first time since they met Lulu, a genuine smile had taken over her face.

"You can save that for later," said Proxi. "Right now, we need you to keep up this happiness."

Lulu smirked at the fairy's remark. "This looks like a different fairy than the one you used before. Anyhow, I'm going to show you to some empty rooms where you can rest. Tomorrow I'll tell you how to get there. Just know, you'll need practice with that mask before you're ready to take it on. A few days to get used to it I'd say." Lulu walked them to the door, and they followed her out.

* * *

Lana felt a bit disappointed that she didn't get to speak with Link again before going off to sleep, but she did appreciate the opportunity to finally bathe herself and change her clothing without worrying about what Link would see. The room that Lulu had taken her to had a bath, without warm water, though Lana improvised with her magic. It felt great to finally wash the seawater from before off of her body.

After the bath, she put on a simple purple nightgown, and laid in bed to prepare for Link's training the next day. She hoped that she'd be able to go with him to the Pirates' Fortress, but doubted that it would be possible without another Zora Mask.

As she laid in the soft bed that Lulu had provided for her, she began to think about Link blushing at Lulu's comparison once again. Was he blushing because he liked the idea, or was he just thinking of something else? Lana liked to think that he'd began to think of her in a different light than he had before, but painfully, she remembered that Zelda wasn't really out of the picture. It had only been two days since they left Hyrule. He couldn't possibly forget someone as amazing as the Princess in a mere two days.

Still, as she thought of his smile as he reached her from the trench, the way he had protected her from the zoras' arrows, and the way he had brought hope back to Lulu, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed that she got to spend so much time with him. _At least it seems like he likes me,_ she thought happily as she fell asleep.

"I see you haven't given up on him yet."

The voice that spoke was cold and unforgiving, yet so familiar. Lana looked around to find that she was standing next to the Gate of Souls in her Temple once again. The sky was dark and purple, and everything around her looked filthy and dying. The room itself had changed back to how it looked that night when Lana had become alone. The night when Cia died.

"What are you talking about?" shouted Lana, noticing that she had no weapons with her, and that she was still standing in her nightgown. It felt more uncomfortable than wearing ten layers of armor, as she felt exposed to whatever force was speaking to her.

 _"We don't always get the person we think we deserve,"_ sneered the unforgiving voice, _"and I can live with that._ Guess you really didn't mean those words in the slightest." Lana began to panic inside, looking all around the room to see where Cia's voice was coming from.

 _No, she's dead, she's dead,_ Lana thought to herself. _She's dead and she isn't coming back._ She closed her eyes, hoping that she would wake up from the nightmare she clearly found herself in.

"How can I be dead as long as you live?" taunted Cia's voice. Lana opened her eyes and saw the black sorceress standing in front of the Gate of Souls, at the very spot where she breathed her last breath. She wasn't wearing her usual revealing attire, however. She was wearing the sacred outfit of the Guardian of Time, looking identical to Lana when she wore it.

"What do you want?!" shouted Lana, still trying to fight her way out of this nightmare.

"Didn't you hear me, silly girl?" laughed Cia, in her maniacal way. "I thought you were _over_ our precious hero!" Lana felt even more uncomfortable as Cia began to walk towards her, with her weapon pointing directly at her. Her radiance and brightness was in stark contrast to the darkness of her stare.

"Something changed!" plead Lana, backing away from her other half.

"Like what?" shouted Cia, telekinetically thrusting Lana against the door to the courtyard. "Don't pretend like Zelda doesn't matter! As long as she's around, what chance could you possibly have?" The look in Cia's lilac eyes penetrated Lana's own. She was glaring at her other half, yet she had on a sadistic looking smile.

"You could always…" Cia licked her lips, though whatever she implied was repulsive to Lana.

"I'd never use my magic to force Link to do anything!" protested Lana. She couldn't move, but she wasn't going to allow Cia to beat her ever again. "Unlike you!"

"That's not what I meant," giggled Cia, beckoning to the Gate of Souls. A huge image of Zelda appeared within the portal. She was playing her harp in one of the towers of Hyrule Castle. Lana could see her face clearly. She was closing her eyes, enraptured with the music she was creating. She finished playing and opened them, revealing her stunning blue eyes beneath her crown and blonde hair. She smiled, but the smile quickly cut off. Her eyes became pale, and Cia's own sadistic smile replaced the one she had.

Lana tried to look away or close her eyes, but she was forced to continue facing the Gate, and her eyes were forced to stay open. She saw the Princess leap from the tower, laughing with Cia's own laugh as she crashed to the earth below her. Lana was disgusted by the sight as what the Gate revealed next was Zelda's laughing corpse at her own funeral. As the corpse's coffin was closed, the laughs of Cia could still faintly be heard from within. As the coffin was carried away, past the Hyrulean guard in the castle and out to the beautiful courtyard, Lana saw herself standing hand in hand with Link, though it was Cia's eyes that she saw on herself. They were wide and manic with joy, and Lana was frightened out of her mind that what she was seeing would become reality.

"STOP!" shouted Lana desperately. "PLEASE CIA, STOP IT!"

"Why?" said Cia, shutting the Gate of Souls and letting Lana loose from her former bondage. "It's what you want, isn't it?"

"I'm not like you," gasped Lana, trying to stand from where she fell. "I'll never be like you were." She was panting, though her breath wouldn't come back to her.

"Honey, you _are_ me," chuckled Cia, standing over Lana's struggling form. "Ever since the day I died, you never could forget where you came from, could you?"

It wasn't true. Lana never thought about it. She had never cared that Cia was part of her, or that she never could've existed without the evil in Cia's heart thrusting her out. Well, maybe she did. She couldn't tell anymore.

"You're wrong," panted Lana, feeling strength begin to return to her. "And I would never kill the princess."

Cia thrust another telekinetic blast, not as strong as the first, but enough to knock the air out of Lana once again. "You wouldn't, but you could always let me return," stated Cia authoritatively. "I mean, you couldn't resurrect me, but you could always become me."

Lana suddenly found herself wearing what Cia always wore, and immediately felt guilt running through her. It was so revealing, and she didn't want anybody to see her like that. She tried to cover her exposed skin with her hands, but there was too much. She could no longer find the strength to even speak out against her evil half.

"Think about it," said Cia. "Take the Mask for yourself and rule the world. That clown, Vaati, has no right to it." The idea sounded repulsive in Lana's ears, yet she couldn't help but feel that Cia was beginning to sound right, which only frightened her all the more. "Why do you even care for the Hero anymore anyways?"

That was it. Lana remembered Link. The reason she couldn't fail, not here, not in her own mind. She had to be strong so that she could see his face again. "B-b—," she tried to start.

"B-b—bitch! You think you deserve him now more than you did before?" Cia was antagonizing.

"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!" screamed Lana.

"Do you honestly believe that you love him?" sneered Cia.

"Yes!" Lana, replied, standing straight up to face her foe. "I do! And I know that…" she wanted to say that Link could fall in love with her, too, but she wasn't sure. She only knew that he cared about her. And that was enough for now.

"That what?! That he could love someone like you? Someone as plain and dull as yourself? Please! He's a knight looking for a princess, not a sorceress." Cia walked over to Lana, replacing the Guardian's clothing with the provocative clothing she was most familiar with. Lana was also wearing the mage's outfit she was so used to wearing.

"I don't care," said Lana. "Even if he never loved me, I don't care! As long as I get to see him, that's enough."

Cia had enough of Lana's hope. Suddenly every cell in Lana's body began to be filled with pain. She couldn't help the tears that streamed from her face as Cia continued laughing at her other half. Suddenly Lana was shaking, and she felt someone's firm hands behind her back, cradling her head. She felt hot, and sweat was dripping all over her body, and she felt the covers of a blanket being removed from over her.

"Lana!"

"L-link…" she muttered, feeling herself tremble.

She was back in the Zora Cape, safe from Cia's dreadful grasp. Her head was burning up, and she felt like her lungs were on fire. Her throat was dry and exhausted.

She opened her eyes and met the piercing blue gaze of her Hero in the dark. He was holding her head up, and his other arm was around her back, keeping her supported. He was wearing a simple tunic with the Hylian Crest stitched into it, and he wore baggy pants. The Guilded Sword was hanging on his back, as though he was ready to fight some kind of monster.

"What are you doing here?" asked Lana, as she looked into his eyes.

"I heard you screaming," said Link, not taking his eyes off of her. "The walls aren't as thick as you'd think. I wouldn't be surprised if you woke everyone else up, too."

Lana felt her heart beating fast, though it was steadily slowing down as she felt the same love she had for her Hero welling up inside of her, replacing the fear she had that Cia would destroy the life she had begun to rebuild.

"You'd better get back to bed," said Lana, trying to forget what Cia had shown her in her sleep. "You have to start practicing with that mask tomorrow, don't you?" She was still full of fear, and she couldn't help but want Link to leave her so that he could be safe.

"Don't you remember what I told you?" said Link, laying Lana's head back on her pillow.

Lana didn't know what came over her, but she wrapped her arms around Link and buried her face in his chest as she burst into tears. "I'm sorry!" she shouted. "For everything!"

Rather than leaning away, Link wrapped his arms around Lana in return for hers. Lana felt more of her passion for him coming out. "What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be in this mess! With Cia, with Time, with everything!" She couldn't help but now blame herself for Cia's actions, after seeing herself in Cia's clothing. After seeing her with Link. Lana tried to pull away in guilt, but felt Link's embrace only get tighter around her.

"That wasn't you," said Link, calmly. "We all know who it was."

Lana stopped trying to pull away, and let herself pull closer to the Hero who now held her in his arms. She could feel his steady heartbeat, and knew that she was overreacting, but she didn't want him to stop.

"Stay with me," muttered Lana into his chest.

"What?" asked Link, releasing his hold so that Lana could look at his face.

"Stay with me tonight," said Lana more audibly. She was slightly embarrassed at the request, but she knew that Link was the only one who was able to stop Cia, whether he could in her dreams or not was now up for debate.

"Alright," said Link without hesitation. "But Proxi will wonder where I ran off to."

Lana chuckled at his reply and began to doze off once again, still wrapped in Link's arms. She felt his hug grow loose, but she didn't mind it. "You still need to tell me more about Termina," said Link. "But we can wait for now."

Lana smiled as she continued to dive further and further into sleep in Link's arms. She wasn't sure how this could change anything, but she was happy that she was able to at least live this part of her dreams. Before she could entirely fall asleep, she felt herself lean up to Link's face and kiss him on the cheek. She didn't know what possessed her to do this, but she was happy when he didn't say anything, letting her go further into her dreams without disruption.

* * *

 **I really appreciate all of the reviews I've received so far, and I do feel like I have some explaining to do. There's been a lot of sympathy offered as to how I've got very few followers/favorites/reviews for such a high quality story, and the reason is pretty simple I think. First, it's the very first fanfiction that I've ever written/posted, and as such, my following consists only of a select few, including yourselves. Second, and I think the most significant reason, when I originally posted the story, I posted the first three chapters all at once, in the hopes that with the lack of heavy Link x Lana action in the first chapter, readers would be satisfied with the next two. It had 24,000 words, and I guess that might've scared some people off to see something that long with zero reviews, follows, and favorites, which is why I appreciate all of you so far for doing what you do and following. Third, until this chapter, the Link x Lana ship has taken sort of a backseat to the story that I was building, and I do apologize for that, but with what I was building, I wanted the story and the romance to develop at the same rate. I included this chapter because I realized there simply wasn't enough of my main goal, which is the romance. The next few chapters are going to be heavy with Link x Lana.**

 **I appreciate all that you 12 so far are doing for my reputation, it's a huge help! Every time I post a new chapter, more and more people click and view it, and I attribute it to you guys. I actually get excited to look at my gmail now that it has follows and favorites on there. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7: Sneaking Around

**Oh wow, it's been almost three weeks since the last time I updated. I have to apologize, I didn't mean for it to take this long. In my defense, I just bought a Nintendo 3DS and Fire Emblem Awakening and I've been playing it religiously ever since. And not to mention that my work schedule has increased and there have been midterms at my school.**

 **So to thank all of you for your patience, I present the longest chapter so far, free of nonsense word vomit, though there is a place where I could've done a chapter break, but screw that! I'm giving you guys a lot this time around. So without further ado, please enjoy Chapter 7. It's a good one.**

* * *

Link looked at the sleeping Lana in his arms, the kiss she had left on his cheek still fresh in his mind. He had never felt the soft touch of a girl's lips like that before, and he couldn't understand how it made him feel. It was as if his lungs were searching for breath that they didn't need. He had been tired before, but now he couldn't stop thinking about the girl in his arms. _What is this?_ he questioned himself. _Why do I want to hold her tighter? What makes me want to tell her everything?_ Even though Link had the Triforce of Courage, there was still something he was always afraid of.

These thoughts continued to swirl in his head unceasingly, and he fought himself to keep Lana at a distance. Her body wasn't pressed against his, though her arms were closed around him. He didn't want her to wake up and think he was taking advantage of her. Link was only now starting to realize how beautiful she was. Her bright blue hair was all over the place, as it wasn't in its typical ponytail, and her breathing seemed light and calm. He wished she would open her eyes so that he could see the lilac once again, which reflected even the most magical of lights that he'd ever seen.

His mind was revolving around the White Sorceress, though one thought at the back of his mind kept him from going any further than keeping her safe in his arms: he had to return to Zelda. Since the day he first saw her, he wanted nothing more than to be by her side, through thick and thin. He thought of how much hell he had to go through to find her after his first battle at Hyrule Castle, and how he had sworn himself to protect her. Zelda, not Lana, was the one he wanted to share his feelings with. The one who could help him overcome his fear of the darkness in his heart.

But… he did realize one thing. He never had wanted to share his feelings with the Princess. He didn't feel like she would care, or even that she'd listen if he told her that he was worried about failing those he loved. Only ever did he want to protect her, and be by her side. He didn't even know why. Perhaps it was her sheer beauty and wisdom that won him over? Either way… now was no time to be thinking of this. He had to rest, so that he could be ready to use the Mask the next day. The sleeping girl's hands started to grow tighter around him. He looked at her face again, and noticed that even in her sleep, she was still wearing his scarf, as if it would protect her from danger.

When he woke up, he couldn't tell what time it was. The strange, blue luminescence that lit up Lulu's room the night before was bright enough that he could see everything clearly. He shivered, realizing that he had fallen asleep without a blanket. Lana was still sleeping, though he noticed that she had a small smile on her face.

Link felt his face get warm as he remembered Lana's thin lips pressing against his cheek the night before, and he quickly pulled his arms from around her, though he did so gently, to avoid waking the sleeping beauty. He rolled away from her bed and stood on his feet, and felt pangs of hunger in his stomach. He had fallen asleep with the Guilded Sword still latched onto his back, and he had left his boots in the room next door, where Proxi surely had to be wondering where he was.

He quickly left the room, deciding that later he would open up more to Lana about his fears. He didn't want her to worry about him, but he felt like she would understand and help him get over it. One of the only people other than Proxi who he could trust with that.

When he arrived back in his similarly luminescent room, he was immediately face to face with the furious Proxi, and she was shouting in her tiny voice of how stupid he was to leave her alone in there.

"I had _nightmares_ that Tingle would bottle me up and take me away to Nayru knows where!" she finished. "Ugh, where were you anyways?"

Link felt himself start glowing, as red flushed his cheeks. He didn't want to tell Proxi anything about Lana, but he did feel a bit conflicted that he had apparently chosen to help Lana with her nightmares rather than help Proxi with hers.

"Oh… I see," giggled Proxi, floating teasingly close to Link. "Is that why she stopped screaming so suddenly last night? I mean, I didn't notice when you left, but I did notice that she stopped yelling pretty quickly."

"Wha—?" Link started, realizing what Proxi was implying. "No! No, nothing like that!"

"Tee hee! Wow!" Proxi was now flying circles in the air in front of Link. "Who'd have thought Link would get over Zelda so quickly?"

"What?" Link was now starting to get annoyed at the fairy's implications, even though he didn't find himself doubting her teasing.

"Relax, buddy," said Proxi. "I'm only kidding. Why was she screaming so loudly anyways?"

"Nightmares," said Link. "I think she was dreaming about Cia. She was shouting her name when I got in there."

"Well, I guess that would be a pretty difficult past to get over," said Proxi. Link walked over to his bag and began to pull his armor and tunic out, placing it on himself quickly. "As long as Lana lives, I guess Cia kind of does, too, doesn't she?"

Link remembered the shadowy phantom of himself that he fought at the Temple of Seers, which had been created by Cia out of his own pride and the evil in his heart. The version of himself that relished in battle and preyed on sweet victory over his enemies. He knew that Lana's own form of that was much stronger. Hers was an actual person. "Yeah, I guess she does," replied Link, worried that if Lana's demon still existed, perhaps his would take hold of form once again.

His door swung open as he finished putting on his boots, and the fresh smell of cooked fish entered the room. Lulu walked straight in with a platter of all different kinds of sea life, cooked to perfection. Link's mouth began to water at the scent, and he ran to the door to swipe as much of it for his greedy stomach as possible.

Training with the Zora Mask began shortly after breakfast and continued for three days after that. The first time he put the mask on, he felt as though he would explode from the pain it took to completely rearrange his biology to match that of a zora's, and it he didn't exactly get used to the pain every time he put it on again. He just learned to not care.

It was extremely difficult for Link to get used to, as he had never used anything like it before in his life. The blades on his arms were somewhat like boomerangs, but they were much sharper and more lethal. Getting used to the gills he could use to breathe in the water was also the strangest sensation he'd ever felt, but with the practice, it almost became second nature to him. The only part of being a zora that came naturally to him was swimming. It was easy, and so fluid that he couldn't bear the thought of having to swim as a regular Hylian again after that.

Several times over the few days Link and Lana spent with Lulu and her people, he had tried to find time alone to ask Lana about Cia, whether or not she was still worried, but he could never find an opportunity for it. He didn't want to go to her room at night again, because he didn't want Proxi to get any of the wrong ideas. Still, he mainly wanted to know if it was possible that Dark Link could resurface should he allow himself to get carried away once again. In fact, it was constantly on his mind.

The day finally came for Lulu to tell Link all about the Pirates' Fortress, and what to expect when he finally entered. He stood by the ocean shore, with the Mask at the ready, with Lulu and Lana standing nearby, wishing him luck. "Remember, there are guards everywhere, and if they see you, they will toss you out of their highest windows," warned Lulu one last time.

"I'm sorry I can't come, Link," said Lana, looking down at the sand in front of her. "But unless I've been there before, I can't just teleport in. And if I tried swimming with you, you'd just be slowed down."

Link walked to her and took the end of the scarf she was still wearing in his hands, admiring the finely stitched Hylian Crest. "Keep this safe for me, will you?" said Link, brushing away her comment. He had resolved that as soon as he could he would get Lana alone so that he could ask her about his fear. And about hers.

Lana looked from the sand into the Hero's eyes. "Sure! It's still kind of cold out, so I think I'll keep it for a bit longer if you don't mind," joked Lana. Link wasn't sure why she continued to wear it, though he didn't really care. He did like the way it looked on her anyways.

Link placed the Mask on his face, and felt the transformation take place, as it had dozens of times over the last few days. His arms felt pain as the blades of Mikau began to extend from them, and his neck cricked as the gills began to grow. Everything else in his body was changed from its normal, healthy state to that of the physique of a zora hero, and it never did feel good until the transformation was complete.

He looked once again at Lana from his bulging zora eyes, wondering if she was frightened or delighted by his appearance as a fish man. The awkward smile on her lips told him that she was neither. That she was just confused as to how she could feel about him in this form.

Some of Mikau's feelings had apparently continued to rest in the Mask, as every time he put it on, he felt as though he was in love with Lulu. He could only assume that's what love felt like. His thoughts while the Mask was on were surrounding Lulu, her smile, her voice, and all the memories which the Mask had retained of being with her. He'd never felt anything so strongly before, and yet it didn't matter to him because he knew the emotions weren't his own.

Link turned towards the ocean and walked straight into it, remembering that Lulu had told him the only entrance to the Pirates' Fortress that he could enter without being seen was underwater. His zora gills absorbed the water, filtering oxygen into his system, while he swam swiftly towards where Lulu claimed the entrance was. The water was clear enough that he could see the bottom, covered in random bits of coral, seaweed, and like-likes. He made it a point to stay closer to the surface so that he could avoid the suffocation of the slimy innards of the like-likes.

He bent around a corner of green rocks, moving his body swiftly in his zora form. Near the wall of what he could only assume was surrounding the Pirates' Fortress, he saw several wooden boards the size of carriages with "X's" painted on them nailed into the wall. The place was as Lulu had said, but she didn't know where the entrance exactly was. In the water around him, there were odd pillars of rock that extended to the surface, and leapt from the water onto the nearest one.

"Well, the Pirates' Fortress has to be behind that wall," said Proxi, who somehow managed to stay with Link in his zora form, though Link was delighted that at least someone was there to talk to him. "But how do we get there?"

Link's eyes shot around the land, which looked almost identical to the rest of the Great Bay, save the wooden planks underneath the water. _Who in the world put those there?_ he thought to himself.

"H-hey!" shouted Proxi as she flew back to Link as he dove back into the water to ram himself into the boards. It didn't seem like a great idea, but clearly somebody was trying to hide something behind those boards, and he wanted to know what it was.

Link surrounded himself with the magical barrier that Mikau had taught himself to use. He collided with the first board on the left, shattering it completely, the broken fragments of wood beginning to float uselessly to the surface. Nothing but a hard wall behind it. Link wasn't satisfied, so he crashed himself into the board to the right of it, hoping to be rewarded for his rashness.

He broke straight through the boards, revealing an underwater cave, which Link knew had to lead to the Pirates' Fortress. He settled himself into a walking position on the ocean floor, and slowly advanced through the gaping black cave, not sure of what he was going to see on the other side.

Link was surprised at how familiar the place seemed to be. Above him he could see several small boats with Gerudo pirates circling, as if endlessly looking for someone to threaten. Link knew that the reason the place seemed to be so familiar to him was due to the fact that some of the Hero of Time's memories were also stored within the Mask. It was always such a difficult feat to ensure that he didn't confuse the minds of the zora and the Hero with his own, and he constantly had to remind himself that he was still learning to use this zora body. The memories of the Hero, always circling around helping others for no reason, and the mind of the zora, constantly thinking of Lulu. He didn't like wearing the Mask, though he knew that he'd have to endure it if he was going to save Termina.

Link put away the thoughts that were possessing him, and turned his mind to finding the Moon's Tear. The Gerudo the Hero of Time remembered were ruthlessly secretive, so finding the Tear would definitely take Link some time. He also had to be careful that nobody would find him.

He started to swim towards the surface, though he kept a bit of depth so that he could avoid the eyes of the Gerudo. They all wore practically the same clothing. Purple and slightly revealing, as the Gerudo traditionally came from a desert nation. He swam to the furthest point away, and saw the real wall of the Pirates' Fortress. It was a giant, iron stronghold, built from below the sea floor, extending hundreds of feet into the air. The sight was menacing to say the least, and Link had no idea of how he would get inside.

He saw a place where he could stand on dry land, though he thought he should be careful, as it would be easy for the Gerudo to see him up there. He swam towards it regardless, something in the Hero of Time's memory telling him that they wouldn't notice, however ridiculous that sounded. He would stick out like a sore thumb up there.

Link waited for the boats to pass by his location before he decided to walk out on the land. He broke from the water, expecting to immediately hear the shouting of angry Gerudo, but was surprised when no such sound reached his sensitive zora ears. He looked around, and for some reason, the Gerudo were mindlessly circling back around the small cove, as if nothing was seeable more than twenty feet away from them.

"Boy, those Gerudo really don't use their eyes, do they?" asked Proxi. She was shaking herself to rid the water from around her.

It didn't make much sense to him, but he was grateful for the stupidity. He walked up the slope to see if he could get a better look at the Fortress itself, hoping that he would find something that would allow him access. "I don't expect it to be that easy on the inside," said Link, as he removed the Mask and felt the eerily pleasant sensation of transforming back into his normal self, to be rid of the Hero's and Mikau's memories.

He was looking at the giant wall, and along the side he saw that there was a ledge, with doors leading into the apparent interior. His eyes scanned for a way across, and was dumbfounded by the large black and white target just begging for him to use his hookshot on. _Was this place just designed for me to break into?_

He took out the hookshot he had fortunately brought with him to Termina, and simply aimed it at the target and let it fly. It quickly attached itself, and Link felt it tug strongly on his arm, pulling his entire weight with him over the water. He was slightly worried that the Gerudo would see him perform this stunt, but wasn't surprised when he heard nothing once again.

He landed roughly on the manmade iron walkway, and walked straight to the opening that would take him into the Fortress, still laughing on the inside at how much easier that was than he thought it would be.

Well, it wasn't going to be easy from that moment on. When Link could see the inside, he immediately jumped behind the nearest wooden box, as the entire place was completely full of armed Gerudo. The place was huge, though it was primarily made up of stone unlike the iron walls. There were doorways leading to different locations all over the place, and a wooden tower in the middle, with a huge ladder leading to the top. The Gerudo weren't patrolling like the ones outside. They were all lined up in front of a ramp which led to a doorway up the wall. They were poised as if ready for an intense battle.

Link didn't understand what was going on. They couldn't have known he was there. Or did the one's patrolling the water actually see him? No, they wouldn't have been able to convey the message that quickly. Were they expecting him? Or… were they expecting someone worse? Link didn't move an inch while he was sitting behind the box, worried that if he moved even one inch, it'd be over for him. He looked up, seeing a pillar with another black and white target.

"Link, don't do it," said Proxi. "They'll shoot you with more arrows than can sink into you before your hookshot drags you there." Link thought about how useful Lana's magic would've been at that moment. He made a mental note to ask Lana to teach him how to make himself invisible next time he saw her. The list of things he wanted from Lana seemed to keep on growing the more he thought about it.

"They didn't see me do it outside," whispered Link, with baited breath. He directed the hookshot to point at the target. He knew they wouldn't be looking for him, anyways. They were clearly preparing for something else. For someone else.

Link let the chain fly, and once again felt it tug so hard that he seemed weightless as it carried him the where he desired. He quickly ducked himself behind the pillar, half-expecting the Gerudo to already be firing their arrows at him, but again, as before, they were silent.

Sneaking around this place was a breeze. "You!" aaand apparently it wasn't. Killing monsters and darknuts were one thing, but Link could never bring himself to kill actual human being. He turned to see the accuser, knowing full well that all the eyes in the entire fortress were now focused on him, likely pointing countless arrows in his direction. He felt stupid for giving them such an easy target. The woman who saw him was running at him with her spear pointing at him. _Knock it to the side as she thrusts and beat her face with the shield, then get stuck with a hundred arrows,_ he thought.

Link raised his hands to the air. He had to go quietly. He was tied with ropes, smacked several times, his weapons were taken away, and next thing he knew, he was in a cell. They left him with his hands tied.

Link looked around the room. It was dark, save the few lanterns which provided some light. The cell he was trapped in was on a raised platform surrounded by water, with a staircase leading to nowhere just in front of it. It felt hard to breathe, and Link felt pangs of hunger as he sat, cursing himself for getting so careless. There was no way out. Lana was going to start worrying about him soon, and rightfully so.

Link tried to pull himself free of the knots around his hands, but they were tight, and the harder he pulled, the tighter they seemed to get. He resigned himself to sitting after hours of trying to contemplate an effective way to get out.

He began to think of Lana. She was probably worried sick about him by now, maybe even trying to find a way to break into the Fortress herself to rescue him. He didn't want her to do that, putting herself in reckless danger to save him from his own pride. _Pride_ , thought Link. _Please, not here._

There was a metal creaking, and Link looked to see several Gerudo walking towards his iron-barred cell. The women looked identical for the most part, but the one who was leading them was absolutely stunning. Her eyes were yellow and bright, and heavy makeup exaggerated all of the finest features on her brown skin. Her long, red hair reached clear past her waist in a ponytail, and her white clothing was loose, yet perfectly fitting.

"What brings you here, trespasser?" asked the woman through the bars. "If you're after our women, just know that it ends badly for everyone who crosses us." She was eyeing him up and down.

"You have no idea, do you?" asked Link. He left it at that. He wasn't going to tell them anything other than that, just to drive them mad.

"Are you here for that blasted imp, then?" asked the leader, grabbing the bars that separated her from Link. "Tell me!"

Link refused to speak anymore, knowing that if he told them too much, or even lied to them, he wasn't likely to make it out alive. He was at least happy that they didn't recognize him as the Hero of Time. He could really use less of that in a situation like that. His memories of how the Hero had snuck through and defeated many of them were still fresh in his memory from the Zora Mask.

"If you don't talk," started the woman, backing away from the prison bars, "we will kill you. Why were you sneaking around here?"

Link wasn't about to give in, but Proxi certainly did. "Don't you know how much danger you're in?" she shouted as she flew through the bars to float in front of the leader's stunning face.

"Call off the danger then," she countered, as if Link had the power to do such a thing.

Link simply stared at his dreamy-eyed foe through the bars. He still refused to say a single word and even felt a bit annoyed that Proxi had burst out like she had. He was only praying that she wouldn't mention the Moon's Tear that they were after. "We can't do that!" shouted Proxi indignantly, reversing back through the bars to Link's side. "We aren't the bad guys."

"Well, I suppose that means that we are," said the woman, turning away from her prisoners. "You know; you remind me of a boy I faced many years ago. He wore the same, stupid green that you do, with a sword and a shield as well. I wanted to kill you when I saw your face again, but when I looked into your eyes, I knew you weren't the same boy. He's been gone for years, and even though I want to kill him, I still owe him my life." She walked away from the cage Link was trapped in with one of her guards. The other stayed behind.

"Sorry about Aveil," said the white-clad, short-haired Gerudo. She wasn't wearing as much makeup as the other Gerudo Link was used to seeing at this point. "You really should tell us all you know. Times are tough nowadays, and we never know how much longer we'll have to protect our treasure for. What with that Wind Mage running around."

"Make sure he doesn't take anything if he does come," said Link, promising himself that would be the only thing he'd say. The Gerudo looked at him with a slight smirk. She nodded and followed her comrades out of the room. Link still worried what was going to happen with Lana and Lulu, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it until he was rescued.

* * *

Days passed. Link was given very little food and water, and he could feel his body growing weaker underneath the lack. He had finally devised a plan of escape, however. He didn't have faith that anyone would be able to safely infiltrate the base to save him, so he had told Proxi to find out where the Moon's Tear was, and try to get a key from one of the guards.

That was the day before, and Link hadn't seen Proxi since. He was worried that he had sent a dear friend to her untimely death, when the Gerudo with the short hair appeared in front of his cage with a large portion of food, at which Link's stomach barked. Without a word she slid the platter through the bars, and Link was greeted by soup, cucco meat, mashed potatoes, and cow milk. He didn't believe that the Gerudo could possibly go to this length to satisfy his hunger, but without question, he grabbed the plate and began to shove everything he could down his throat, the soup slightly burning its way down. It didn't taste great, but it was the best thing Link had eaten in four days since leaving Zora Cape.

"I don't know what you were doing here," said the Gerudo, crouching down to meet Link's eyes through the bars, "but I still think you're here to save us, aren't you? Aveil said you're not the same Hero who stopped the moon from falling, but I'm not convinced of that. You might not have the same eyes, but you have the same spirit in you."

"Will you let me go?" asked Link in a voice muffled by a cucco leg.

"I can't," she stated simply. "Though I think she's just being paranoid, I could never betray Aveil. Not willingly, of course." She winked at Link as she stood back up and walked out of the murky room. Link was left alone to finish the meal, wondering about Lana once again. If she was safe. His thoughts circled around the kiss he could still feel from her soft lips, knowing that one day he'd like to feel them again. Or perhaps he could return the favor.

Proxi interrupted his thoughts by bursting through the bars and scattering the rest of Link's mashed potatoes on the floor when she crashed into the plate. "Link! I got some!" Proxi shouted in a whisper. "That short-haired Gerudo just left them on her table, so I picked them up!" Link noticed that among the mess of potato that was over the floor, there was also a ring of keys.

"Where've you been?" asked Link, a little furiously. "Have you been here the whole time?" Link was wondering if she'd gotten a chance to see Lana to tell her what was happening.

"I… oh, Link," Proxi began to weep. "I did leave to see if Lulu and Lana were okay, but…" Proxi turned away from Link. "…but they were gone!" It seemed as if all of the nightmares Link had been having while stuck in here were coming true. "And—and there were dead zoras all along the beach, Link. I don't know where they are!" Link was filled with horror as he imagined Lana being taken away by the dreadful Vaati. Link knew only that he had to escape this place with the Moon's Tear.

"They'll be okay," said Link, slightly doubting himself. "Lana's pretty resourceful, you know!" He was trying to sound optimistic, but he felt that he had put a little too much effort in the statement.

"Just get out of here, already," said Proxi, floating back into his hat. "We don't have any more time to waste." Link couldn't help but worry that without Lana, there was no way for him to return to Hyrule. To return to Zelda. Even then, however, Link didn't care much about whether or not he'd see that Hyrule or Zelda again. He was more concerned with the safety of the White Sorceress he'd held in his arms only a few days before.

He reached down to the keys on the floor and took them resolutely in his hands. He stood up and walked to the door of the cage, and tried each key until one successfully turned the tumblers and opened the door. He walked out, with his new strategy of going around the base without being caught. Proxi would scout every area before he would move in.

One thing Link knew that he needed were his weapons and tools. He couldn't go through the rest of Termina without them, and Proxi was just the right fairy to lead him where he needed to go. She flew ahead of him as he would sneak around all of the Gerudo in the base, and felt safe knowing that no alarms had been sounded to notify all of them of his escape.

As he snuck around, he noticed one thing about all of the Gerudo he saw. They were all shaking and nervous about something. Given what had just happened at the beach, Link knew it had to be something to do with Vaati. He was a bit surprised that Vaati hadn't laid waste to this place already, but was confident that he'd used a sizable amount of his power to take Lana into his custody. She was no pushover.

Link and Proxi found themselves back in the same courtyard where Link had been captured his first time there. This time there weren't as many Gerudo surrounding the staircase leading to Link's target. Proxi told him that they were keeping his weapons in a room above the captain's, and the only way to get there was to climb the ladder in the middle of the courtyard and to cross the bridge. Link had a plan for this as well.

Proxi flew away from him and began to get in direct view of all of the guards she could, taunting them with phrases like, "You can't catch me!" or "Aveil is crazy!" Though crude, it worked, and she managed to get plenty of the Gerudo to leave their posts and chase her, leaving Link enough freedom to run to the ladder, only one guard now between him and his weapons.

He swiftly ran past the wooden boxes that covered his location, across the stone floor to the wooden ladder that led up to a raised platform. He started the climb as quickly as he could, still hearing Proxi's cries far from where he was, hoping to the goddesses that they would keep their eyes on her.

Link reached the platform, but before he climbed on top, he peered over the ledge, trying to see where the last Gerudo guard was looking. Luckily she was standing at the beginning of the bridge, looking towards the hookshot target that stood on the other side. Link silently climbed onto the platform, snuck up on the guard, and clubbed her hard over the head with his fist. He felt guilty for hitting a girl like that, but knew that he didn't have much of an option.

He ran across the bridge as he heard Proxi's cries stop. He hid behind the target and waited for Proxi to reach him again.

"Wow, those Gerudo really are stupid, aren't they?" said Proxi, not knowing that the short-haired Gerudo had intentionally left her keys for her.

"Smart enough to keep me locked in here for four days," said Link bitterly. He walked through the door of the treasury.

Link was happy to see the Guilded Sword laying across the Hylian Shield against the wall. He began to reclaim all of his gear, strapping the sword and shield on his back and collecting up all of his other weapons. When he finished, he looked at Proxi floating in front of his face. "Now, where's the Moon's Tear?"

"I… I don't know," said Proxi, descending a few inches. "I looked all over the place, and I listened in on dozens of conversations, but I couldn't find anything related to the Tear." Link felt a little more troubled, as he knew that in no time, the Gerudo would find out he'd escaped and come looking for him. Sneaking around was much easier when nobody was looking for him.

He began to try and think of a solution to his problem, when suddenly he heard voices in the room below. He hadn't realized it, but there was another room attached beneath this one, with only a small window that connected them. Link walked over to the hole in the wall and looked into the room where he heard the voices. He saw Aveil, the captain, talking to what looked like most of the Gerudo Pirates that lived there. There were dozens of them, all armed with spears and bows. The room itself was laden with treasures from all over the place, and Aveil's throne was simply extravagant to say the least.

"Just stay on your guard, and we'll be okay," said Aveil, looking as beautiful as ever in the torchlight of the room.

"What's going on?" whispered Proxi into Link's ear. He couldn't see the short-haired Gerudo anywhere, which was weird to him because he had supposed she was the second-in-command. He saw all of the Gerudo in the room suddenly turn around and point their weapons at one figure who was now floating into the room. Vaati.

He wasn't wearing Majora's Mask, but simply had a twisted and evil look across his purplish face. There were now strange markings across his face that seemed to match the ones that Link had seen on the Mask. His red eyes stared into nothingness, as he continued to float towards the weapons of the Gerudo without hesitation. Some of them ran forth and tried to stab him, but their weapons simply phased through his form, and they were thrown back by a shockwave that he summoned.

Link had fought with Vaati before, but now he looked even more maniacal than at the Gate, his soul clearly corrupted by that of the Mask. Vaati floated past every guard, they all shaking in fear and awe of the power that made them look so weak. He was now floating right in front of Aveil and her throne. He smiled at her sadistically, reminding Link somewhat of Cia.

"Now, let's stop playing games, shall we?" he taunted. "I'm only here for one thing, and if you give it to me, I'll let you live. Unlike those silly zoras at the beach." Link saw the fear in Aveil's eyes as she fell to her knees.

"What do you want?" pleaded Aveil, looking at the ground in front of him.

"Look at me," said Vaati coldly. Aveil looked into her tormentor's evil eyes, and Link knew that she would give him anything that he asked for.

"Bring me the Moon's Tear," said Vaati. "I know you have it."

"The what?" asked Aveil, full of honest confusion. Vaati continued to look at her, with anger beginning to well up in his eyes.

Without warning, Vaati turned away from Aveil and started to float out of the room. He also caused several of the Gerudo he passed to start screaming in pain until they were silenced by death in his wrath. Link wondered why he'd give up on finding the Tear so easily, and began to wonder for himself whether or not the Tear was actually there.

When the Wind Mage was gone from the room, Link looked back at Aveil who was sobbing on the floor, cursing the goddesses that her sisters had been killed for no reason. Link was preparing to leave the Pirates' Fortress, full of an anger similar to Vaati's that he'd come to the Pirates' Fortress for nothing. Angry at himself for not being there to protect Lana from the cursed Mage.

Before he reached the door to the exit, he saw the short-haired Gerudo standing in front of it. She had tears in her eyes. "Aveil knew nothing about the Moon's Tear. It's my treasure." She reached behind her back, and pulled out the glowing blue rock. It shone like nothing Link had ever seen before, it's glow dim, yet powerful and piercing. It was shaped like a drop of water, and there was a strange power emanating from it. "I stole it from the old codger at the Observatory, and I didn't tell anyone, except one man who tricked me into trusting him." Link knew she was talking about Gorman.

She held the Moon's Tear to Link, and he took it without hesitation. He looked at it in his hands, knowing that he had to destroy it, but not knowing how he could possibly do so. Sure, he could shatter it, but the power would almost definitely remain intact.

"Thank you," said Link, taking her hand.

"Yeah, with this that freak can return to his full power," said Proxi, circling her head.

"Just…take it and save us. My sisters…dead for nothing," she broke down and began to sob on the ground. Link didn't know much about comforting, aside from that night with Lana, and didn't feel that this woman merited the same treatment. He crouched to her level and placed a hand on her shoulder and simply gave a reassuring squeeze. He stood up and walked out of the room.

Link looked back at the courtyard, knowing that it would no longer matter if the Gerudo saw him. They'd be worrying about Vaati above anything else. He walked back across the bridge, and started to descend the ladder, still full of confusion at what he was supposed to do now that he didn't have Lana, Lulu, or even Volga to help him.

As he reached the base of the ladder, Link felt himself be thrown across the entire courtyard. It was time for battle, and Link was actually excited at the prospect of getting a chance to get revenge on the evil Mage for what he was doing to Lana. He crashed into a box which shattered into pieces, but he quickly regained his stance, drawing the Guilded Sword and Hylian Shield to face his foe. Vaati was floating next to the ladder, his hands raised and holding some kind of dark power. He had no smile on his face, but the markings around his eyes were beginning to glow.

Link ran towards him with his sword pointing at him, and felt another wave of energy begin to course at him, but he dodged it and continued his pursuit. When he reached Vaati, he swung his sword, but Vaati vanished and appeared behind him. He raised the Shield to protect himself from the dark pulse that Vaati was now unleashing on him. Link could tell that Vaati wasn't as powerful as he had been at their first encounter. He waited beneath the cover of his shield, but the dark energy was beginning to surround him.

Link wasn't sure what happened, but the dark energy completely surrounded him and filled his lungs. He suddenly felt his anger and thirst for revenge expel from his body along with the energy, and remembered that he'd felt this once before. This feeling of anger and revenge leaving him, yet still being part of him. He had been surrounded by pictures of himself in a Mansion that Cia had lived in.

When he regained focus, Link saw that his Dark self had appeared in front of him to engage in combat once again. This is exactly what Link had been so worried about. Losing himself to his evil emotions, being forced to confront his demon once again.

Vaati laughed maniacally, but Link knew that the Mage couldn't focus his power on fighting him so long as he had to retain the Dark Link's form. Link engaged blow for blow with the evil specter, and realized that this Dark Link was far stronger than the ones that Cia had summoned in the Temple of Seers. He knew this was because Cia had focused on the number of Dark Links, rather than pouring the energy into one.

As the evil clone began to gain the upper hand in the battle, Link remembered something that he'd forgotten. When he was first confronted with his demon, there was one person who came to save him. And now he had to fight for her sake.

Link swiftly beat the clone's sword away, and bashed his head with his Hylian Shield, swinging his sword down to meet with his head, but Dark Link was fast, dodging it carefully with a roll in which he regained possession of his spectral sword. When Dark Link attempted swipe now at Link's legs, Link jumped as the sword swung, doing a backflip to gain distance from the demon who simply outmatched Link in terms of speed.

Link charged at him once again, hoping that he'd have the raw power to defeat him, swinging the Guilded Sword as hard as he could at the spectral sword. It started to work, Link continuing to remember that he needed to win for the sake of the White Sorceress he… the White Sorceress he swore to protect.

With one last left-swing, Link hit Dark Link's sword away from his hand and drove the Guilded Sword through where the demon's heart would've been if it had one. He heard a demented version of his voice escape the creature as the shadows dispersed. Link turned back to face the weakened Vaati, but dropped his sword at what he saw.

Lana was floating next the Wind Mage, and Link could see the pain that Vaati was causing her as she struggled to move, tears streaming from her face. "Link!" she screamed. On the other side of Vaati, Lulu was unconscious, with the same dark bands that covered Lana.

"Good," said Vaati. "Now, give me the Moon's Tear, and I'll make their deaths more bearable, simpleton."

"Don't do it, Link!" shouted Lana past her cries. "Destroy it! Hurry and do it now!" Link wasn't sure what he could do. He took the Moon's Tear and held it to Vaati. He didn't even know how to destroy it, and couldn't bear the thought that Lana would be tortured to death.

"Heh heh," chuckled Vaati. "You humans are so weak."

As Vaati reached for the Tear, another voice, one so familiar to Link, broke the air. "Lana, are you really so weak that you'd let this happen to your _love_?" Link couldn't believe the voice he was hearing. He'd heard it break through the air like this so many times, and he looked around for a source. _Wait, what did it mean by her love?_ Link thought.

Link looked at Lana and saw a light begin to glow from her chest. Link knew exactly what light that was, and Vaati looked back from the Tear that Link was holding in shock. Link quickly put the Tear away and picked the Guilded Sword off the ground.

The Triforce of Power floated away from Lana, and another spectral form took form around it, though rather than shining in darkness, it shone like the night sky, full of stars. Cia's own form had taken place.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let that pathetic girl die," said the cosmic figure of Cia. "Because she's the last part of me left in this world, and oh how much of a loss this world would be without any of me left in it." Cia immediately thrust her arm out and the light of the Triforce blinded Vaati, causing him to release Lana and Lulu from their bonds. Link took this chance to charge at Vaati, and took one swipe from his sword to hack his form in two. Vaati's screeches pierced the sky, and the Gerudo began to run out to see what was happening in the courtyard.

Cia's form dissipated and the Triforce of Power went back to Lana. "You fools haven't seen the last of me!" shouted the crazed Vaati as his demented form took the shape of a spectral eye floating in the air. "I will have the Moon's Tear one way or another! DAMN YOU!" Vaati disappeared entirely, leaving Link alone with Lana, Lulu, and Proxi. Lana was now unconscious on the floor, and they were surrounded by the pointing weapons of the Gerudo.

Link didn't care about the Gerudo as he ran over to Lana to see if she was okay. He took her in his arms, stroking the disheveled light blue hair away from her face. He looked at her closed eyes, and she looked as if she was in pain.

"Let them go," Link heard Aveil say over the voices of the confused Gerudo. "Just leave them!" Link knew that Aveil didn't like him or even trust him in any way, but this was her way of thanking him for fighting the cretin who killed her sisters. "And you," Link heard. He wasn't looking away from Lana's face, as the pain in her complexion began to ease into a face of rest. "You take the zora. The boy only has two arms."

Link saw the short-haired Gerudo pick Lulu off the ground, smiling at Link for what he'd done. Link took Lana off the ground, and began to walk away from the fortress. "We'll need a boat, mistress," said the Gerudo.

* * *

Link and Lana were back in the Zora Cape, which had a considerable amount less zoras than it had before. Lana still hadn't woken up, but there was now a smile on her face as Link laid her in the bed she'd slept in while they stayed there. Once again Link brushed the hair out of her face.

He saw Lana's eyes open for a brief moment. "Thank you," she said weakly. Before she could fall back to her dreams, Link decided to do for her what she had done for him. He tenderly kissed her forehead, feeling the warmth of illness creep away at his touch. When he broke away, her eyes were closed once again, her smile brighter than the light the Triforce had given off earlier that day.


	8. Chapter 8: Clock Town

**Has it been a long time since I updated? Yes, absolutely. Can I explain why? Yes. The last month of the semester was pretty crazy with finals and everything, and I got really caught up in trying to get straight A's. It was also really hard to focus on crafting this story while my Creative Writing professor was a jerk and didn't allow us to submit fanfictions for our stories, so I had to focus writing other things. Not that it was a bad thing, as I have like four or five different novels and series I can make out of it, but still, it was a bummer having to put this on hold.**

 **With this chapter, I officially exceed 50,000 words! Holy cow, I didn't see that coming. My first book-length project, a Zelda fanfiction? Who'd have thought? Either way, this chapter is switching between Lana's perspective and Link's perspective. I thought I'd write more at the ending, but I felt I ended it at a good place. Also be prepared for some heavy shipping in the chapter that follows this one, and expect story updates about every two weeks from now on, and if I can't, then I will punish myself.**

 **I know it says that I'd update on Thursday, but I lied! I finished it before then!**

* * *

"Are you sure you want to leave already?" asked Lulu, clearly concerned with Link's wellbeing. "You're free to stay as long as you want…" Lulu was standing in the main hall facing Link and Lana as they were getting ready to leave.

"Don't worry, Lulu," said Lana, now that the both of them had recovered after a week of constant care. "I don't think Vaati will come back here any time soon now that the Moon's Tear has been destroyed." Immediately upon her ability to use magic again, Lana had completely eradicated any trace of the Moon's Tear with one of her darkness curses. Unfortunately for the two of them, there was still one other Tear that was yet to be located. They had decided to head over to the main town of Termina to see if they could find Gorman for more information.

"Yes, but… it's not safe out there. The Moon's Tear could be anywhere, and I'm sure that devil has been laying waste to the land to find it. I wonder if Clock Town even still exists," said Lulu.

"All the more reason that we need to leave!" said Proxi in the dim light of the reflective water. "We need to save as many people as we can otherwise there'd be no point to stopping Vaati anymore!"

"Plus I'm sure our Goron troops are growing tired of waiting around for something to happen," said Link. It's true that the Goron troops had been waiting in the mountains near the Bay for nearly two weeks while Link had infiltrated the Fortress and Lana had to recover. They hadn't been around to help the zoras in defense of the Bay when Vaati had attacked due to the fact that they simply weren't aware that it had been happening and it was over in the short course of an hour.

Lulu looked at her savior again. "I can't believe after all this time, you saved me again." She was blushing as she said this. "And I hope you take good care of Mikau's Mask. He'd have wanted you to take it, as he did all those years ago." Link only smiled at Lulu for what she had done for Lana and him during their time there.

Lana walked towards Lulu and took her in an embrace. "Thank you for everything you've done for us. I promise we won't stop until Vaati is gone forever." When she broke she turned back towards Link and Proxi with a wide grin across her thin lips. "Let's go!" The three then immediately set off to find the Gorons in the mountains before following Tingle yet to another place which surely had been affected by Vaati's evil.

* * *

"Mr. Fairy, just another day this way and we'll reach Clock Town!" shouted Tingle from his balloon in the sky. "Night is falling!" As the group traversed through the land they finally found themselves on an open field. The sun was falling fast in the sky, a beautiful sight that always merited watching in Termina. Lana was left breathless as the orange light embraced the landscape all around the huge city in the midst of the field that could only have been Clock Town.

Lana looked for Link to see if he was also watching the beauty with her, but he was just giving orders to the Gorons that it was time for them to rest until they reached the city. Lana could still remember the feelings that welled up inside of her when Link had kissed her, wanting to feel more, and wondering if Link had felt the same.

Cia hadn't made herself manifest from Lana since that day in the Fortress, and Lana never understood what caused her to come forth. It was a miracle, yet Lana was so frightened of it happening again.

Link was busy setting up his own tent when Lana thought it would be the perfect time for them finally to talk alone. She timidly walked toward him, unsure of how she could ask him for some time alone. In fact, the very idea of being alone with him now was frightening, and she began to blush as she walked closer to the Hero. He looked so cute with his furrowed brow and blonde hair, trying to figure out a proper place to put his stakes for the tent.

"L-Link?" said Lana shyly. He looked away from the stake in his hand to make eye contact with his blue eyes. She then forgot what she wanted to ask him as her thoughts propelled her to a fantasy wherein she and Link were raising a family in the future. Her face grew red as she realized that she had asked for his attention while she was dozing off in a fantasy.

"Umm, yeah?" asked Link, slightly grinning at Lana's blush.

"I-I-I…" _What was it?_ she thought frantically. "I just wanted to thank you for… everything, you know?" _No, that's not it! Think!_

"I think we're past the thanking," said Proxi, emerging behind the completed part of the tent. "So what was it really?" She flew straight towards Lana's face. "I believe you wanted to talk to him?" whispered Proxi, knowing Lana's intentions toward the Hero.

"O-oh!" exclaimed Lana as she remembered. "Yeah, Link, I wondered if we could talk in private for a bit?" Her face was glowing as she felt her heart rate accelerate as her nervousness began to overwhelm her. She felt an inner shaking within her frame as she waited for his answer.

"Where can we go that's private?" asked Link simply.

 _Is that a yes? No? What does that mean? Does it mean yes if we can find somewhere private? Does it mean no if we can't? Did I ask too soon? What do I look like? Do I look cute enough for him? Oh, I hope he notices the lipstick!_ "I thought my tent… if that's okay with you? It's a bit farther away from the snoring Gorons, and Proxi can stay in your tent once you finish." She managed to hide the panic in her voice.

"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I finish this up," said Link, turning his attention back to the stake. Lana didn't know how to feel with such a passive, yet positive response. She started to turn back to her tent when she noticed a faint smile break on Link's face. Once again a hopeful happiness started to fill her chest when she considered what his smile could've meant.

Proxi followed her for a bit while she walked back towards her finished tent. It was quite simple to set up a tent with magic. "I expect a thanks for that," said Proxi. "I don't usually go out of my way to help a stalker." Though she was joking, Lana felt a tinge of guilt as she thought about her past with Cia.

"Hehe, thank you, Proxi," said Lana. "And hey! I think I've come a long way to be called a stalker by you, the girl who always follows him around!" Proxi bumped into the back of Lana's head.

"I guess I never considered that before," sneered Proxi. "But I've seen him shirtless and you haven't."

"All the more reason you're the real stalker here!" retorted Lana, still embarrassed at her memories of being with Cia in which she did, in fact, see Link shirtless before. "You're not in love with him, are you?"

"Afraid of a little competition I see," said Proxi slyly. "Heh, no I'm not in love with him, but I do love him, you know? That's why I'm always on his side for what he chooses, whether I like it or not."

"So, do you know what he's going to choose?" asked Lana. "If you know what I—?"

"I don't, honestly," said Proxi. "He still talks about Zelda, but… he talks about you a lot more now. I don't think he understands his own feelings, yet, but I think I'm rooting for you for now. Just keep batting your pretty purple eyes and I'm sure he'll cave eventually." With that, Proxi flew back to watch Link finish building his tent. With one wave of her hand Lana could have that tent finished, but she wanted to give Link time to think, and Proxi time to talk.

She sat in her tent until it was too dark to see without the magic light she created to brighten up the room as if it was a bright flame. It wasn't long until she heard the Hero's voice outside of her tent. "Hey, can I… uh… come in?"

Lana quickly sat up and attempted to make herself look presentable. "Sure! Just be careful you don't mess up my hard work," she joked.

Link opened the flap and walked in, still fully clothed with his chainmail and green tunic, though his boots were left outside and his sword and shield were at his own tent. "Sorry it took so long," he said.

"No, no, don't worry about it," said Lana. "You picked a pretty rough spot and you don't have any magical talent whatsoever, so I understand." She felt as though she'd just insulted him, but he took it as a joke and grinned.

"My magic simply takes a different form than yours," he retorted smartly. "Now, you said there was something you wanted to talk about?" Link looked a bit nervous himself to be there underneath his playful grin. As if he'd been wanting to have this same kind of discussion with Lana.

"I wanted to… talk about what happened at the Fortress," said Lana. "I mean, you know, when Cia showed up." She had been wondering about this every day since then, and hadn't been able to figure out why it happened despite only being tortured by the mere memory of her former self until that moment.

"I know what you mean," said Link. "Both of us had some demons that came out that day, didn't we?"

"That's right, Dark Link showed up again, didn't he?"

"Yeah. I think it can only happen if I'm… full of darkness or something," sighed Link.

"I'm aware of the spell to make it happen," said Lana. "It takes your darkness and gives it form when cast on you. It doesn't work on anyone who has a pure heart, though." She felt as though she'd said this insensitively, as it would imply that Link didn't have a pure enough heart for a hero. "I'm sorry I—!"

"No, don't worry," Link cut her off before she could finish her apology. "When Proxi told me what happened at the Great Bay, with the zoras, and with you… I couldn't stop wanting to get revenge on him. I was afraid that he'd taken someone important from me, and I wanted him to pay, not for justice, but for my sake." He looked at Lana with serious eyes.

Lana heard him call her important, so she took that as her cue to bat her eyes once at the Hero like Proxi said she should. "And that's why the spell worked," said Lana. "There's also a minor form of the spell that takes the remnants of darkness and allows the caster to use it in small bursts, like when Cia would summon several of the Dark Links to attack for her only to vanish. That's reminiscent darkness, and isn't quite strong. Vaati now has the power to create copies of you as well, but as long as… as long as your heart stays pure, you won't have to worry about fighting yourself again."

Link sat in silence for a few minutes while Lana watched him. She tried batting her eyes a bit more to try and capture his attention, but ultimately gave up on the endeavor because of how silly it made her feel. And clearly Link was thinking deeply about something that was pressing hard on his mind.

"So I guess that Cia thing couldn't have been the same as mine," said Link suddenly. "Your heart's way too pure for that."

Lana felt herself start blushing again, but she had to make sure she corrected him, "N-no, it really isn't. I mean, yes, it wasn't the same magic, but it was still… my darkness." She was being as serious as she could, and yet she still couldn't understand what was happening with her.

"I remember you told me that you were once part of Cia," said Link. "Is it anything like that?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," said Lana. "This wasn't the same as that. When Cia thrust out the good in her heart, that's what I became, and I was a permanent fix. There was no going back to being one person after that.

"I think I should also tell you… that night you came in while I was crying, Cia spoke to me in my dream. At first I thought it was just a dream, that's it. But the more I've thought about it, the more I've been convinced that it wasn't just a dream and that her spirit actually spoke to me. I think… I think somewhere out there, she's still alive, but too weak to take on physical form. Perhaps her soul is still bound to mine, and to keep herself alive, she had to ensure my own survival, so she intervened.

"It's just a theory, though," finished Lana. "Crazy, isn't it?"

"After everything we've been through," replied Link, "I don't think anything could sound crazy at this point." Link stopped talking and looked up at Lana, the light of her magic reflecting off of his eyes. She stared into his eyes, mesmerized by their glow.

"Either way," started Lana once again, "I'm terrified of her coming back now." She decided to lie down as she continued to think, trying to focus on what they were talking about rather than getting lost in her thoughts of a future with the Hero. "What would happen if she did come back?"

The two sat in silence awhile, Lana simply trying to imagine a world where Cia had returned. She had already committed such horrendous acts of violence and evil across Hyrule in her pursuit of ultimate power. Would she go back to that evil, or was there still hope for the girl who cast the good from her own heart?

Lana felt her eyelids grow tired as she lay thinking about it. Cia was so horrible to her in her dream, yet she had saved her from Vaati only days after, however selfishly she did so, claiming it was only to keep herself alive.

She fell asleep in her tent, forgetting that Link was still with her.

* * *

 _Did I really just fall asleep with Lana again?_ thought Link as he quickly escaped Lana's tent after strapping his boots back on, hoping that she didn't know that he'd fallen asleep after their conversation the previous night. He had been up a bit longer than she had, wondering about Cia's return to Hyrule if it were possible, but in the end he fell asleep just as she had, a head swirling with unanswered questions.

It was still early in the morning, the sun barely creeping over the horizon. Link walked over to a smoldering campfire, where several gorons still huddled around it. They loved the heat, so it would only make sense that they'd prefer to sleep next to an open flame. Link sat next to it, deciding that he'd wait for the rest of the camp to wake up before they'd make the rest of the short journey to reach Clock Town. On horseback it would only have taken a matter of hours from the Great Bay to Clock Town, a short day on foot, but with gorons in tow, a day and a half at best.

Link waited until the sun shone over their camp before he started to cook something up for Lana and himself to eat, as the gorons simply preferred to eat rocks over anything else. Cucco eggs, bacon, and fish from Great Bay was all they had until they were expected to reach Clock Town. From where they were, it would be about a two hours walk away, an hour if they were quick about it.

The smoke from the fire rose into the sky, and Link compared it to the cloud of smoke arising from Clock Town itself. _Smoke?_ he thought. _NO!_

"Proxi!" shouted Link frantically. "Lana! Tingle! EVERYONE!" The whole camp began to stir from its slumber, and the loud yawns of gorons could be heard from every direction. As they were waking, Link started to shove the breakfast he'd made down his throat so that he'd have enough energy for the run that was ahead of them.

"Link, what's wrong?" asked Lana as she ran to him and the fire.

"Just hurry and eat, we have to get to Clock Town, now!"

"Whaddyou—? Oh, no!" shouted Lana as she saw the smoke arising from the city in the distance.

"Don't worry, we'll be there in no time to help out!" shouted an armor-clad goron captain who walked over to Link and Lana. He curled into a ball and began to roll faster than Link could ever hope to run, and quickly the other gorons in their group followed suit. At that pace they could reach the town in less than half an hour, leaving Link, Lana, and Tingle to catch up to the battle.

Link swiftly ran to his tent as Lana began to scarf the food he'd prepared down her throat. This was no time to be hungry. Link grabbed the Gilded Sword and Hylian Shield, throwing them on his back before he ran back out to see Lana finishing the food, not looking too pretty while doing so.

"Lana, can you teleport us?" asked Link quickly, not wanting to allow whatever was attacking any more time than they'd already had. "I know you've never been there, but please tell me it's possible." Link knew that he was asking the world of her, but also believed that she must have found something that could help in her new tome.

"I… I told you that I can't, Link," sighed Lana, as goron troops thundered past them. "I mean… it's not impossible, but I don't think I can do it. Remember I told you I couldn't even get to the Pirates' Fortress that way, and it was only a few hundred yards away, not twenty miles."

The last few gorons passed by them, leaving the grass all around them crushed. "Whaddya mean you don't think you can?" yelled Proxi harshly. "You're the White Sorceress! All you've been doing since the Pirates' Fortress is study that Tome, and you mean to tell me there's nothing in there?" She was shaking rapidly in anger in the air.

Link walked to Lana and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "If there's anything you can do, then now's the time to do it," he said calmly, while Lana avoided his gaze by looking around the crushed earth. "If you can't, that's okay, we'll run the whole way. Or Tingle can carry one of us on his giant balloon so at least one of us can make it there quickly."

Lana chuckled at this slight humor, even in the dire situation they found themselves in. "I-I don't know…" she started. "There's a spell in the Sorceress Tome that allows me to take two people only, and even then, there's a chance that part of us could be left behind if I don't perform the spell perfectly."

"Even if part of us is left behind, don't you think it'd be worth it if we can even save one more person by getting there faster?" Link didn't understand why, but he walked straight to Lana and held her in his arms. "We don't even know if there's any danger, it could just be a small fire that broke loose. But I don't care, if we can help, then we have to." Lana's arms closed tightly around Link.

"I'm sorry, Proxi," started Lana as the fairy started to protest, "but you'll have to travel with Tingle alone a little while."

Smoke filled Link's nostrils as he took his first breath in Clock Town. The air was rank with the smell of burning wood and the sounds of clashing metal rang loudly. Link looked around and saw dozens of the wolfos leading small packs of stalchildren in combat against poorly armored soldiers and guards all over the area around a giant, stone Clock Tower with a wooden face which continuously ticked.

He broke the embrace with Lana and immediately pulled his sword from its sheath and kicked a head off of a stalchild which had foolishly tried to claw at her. Link looked at her with a grin of solid approval at her magical ability, and noticed that she was sweating severely.

Before he could open his mouth, Lana interrupted him, "Don't worry about me, I'm just a little drained from using that spell for the first time! Just kill these stupid things and we can rest!"

Link turned just in time to raise his sword to protect himself from a swiping claw of a wolfos. He quickly dragged his sword across its hand, slicing the fingers cleanly off before he quickly decapitated the beast. He knew the Gilded Sword was sharp, but not like this.

Link quickly tried to help every group of soldiers he could find who were struggling to keep up the fight against the forces of evil which were seemingly endless. He could hear magic spells of lightning and fire being cast all around, knowing that Lana was responsible for a good number of enemy casualties.

Link helped the soldiers in what was probably the main square of Clock Town to secure the location. It wasn't too difficult with the enemy soldiers being so thinned out among them. After cutting down the last wolfos in the area, Link quickly ran to speak with one of the soldiers who had been showing particular prowess with the sword during the fight.

"Are you one of the captains here?" he asked, somewhat out of breath.

"I am," panted the man, his silver helmet reflecting the light of the rising sun. "In fact, I'm the only captain this army's got left. What do I owe you the pleasure of saving my life?" He had a large gash across his right arm which was still freely bleeding, though he seemed to pay it no mind.

"Your life isn't saved, yet," a stern voice said. Link looked to see where the voice came from. "Not until every last one of those things is gone, and our families are safe." The man was a bit taller than Link. He had reddish eyes, and purple hair down to his shoulders which looked rather rough. His clothing signified that he was someone important for the town. He had an elegant looking blade which resembled Ghirahim's drawn, covered in blue blood.

"Mayor Kafei!" shouted the wounded captain. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just Kafei, there's no need to add Mayor in front of it now," said Kafei, sheathing his sword. "There was a young sorceress who still fights in the Western Area of town where the market is, and I suggest you don't stop until every area of our town is safe."

Without listening to the rest of the conversation, Link bolted for the direction opposite the sun's rising, knowing that Lana wasn't strong enough to fight alone. He heard the mayor shout something, but didn't understand it over the beating of his heart in his ears. Lana was in danger. That's all that mattered until she was safe.

He passed by the bones of stalfos and stalchildren and the corpses of wolfos and moblins, knowing that Lana was responsible based on the burns they all had. Link found his way to the Western part of town, seeing that it was lined with small businesses and doors up a gradually climbing stairway. Here Lana was completely surrounded by enemies on all sides, her blue hair completely disheveled from the fighting.

Link cut through the circle of enemies, seeing the bodies of Clock Town soldiers surrounding their feet. He swung his sword cleanly through the moblins which had decided to try and harm his precious sorceress before he could reach her.

"Lana, you said you would be fine!" he yelled as he reached her in the circle. "This doesn't look like fine to me!" He saw that she was surrounding herself with a barrier, but not only her. There was a young child with short, purple hair matching that of the mayor with her. There was blood gushing from a wound in Lana's side, and her face was contorted with pain and concentration.

"I'm sorry!" shouted Lana, trying to focus blasts of fire as well as keeping her barrier up. "He was almost killed, and I couldn't let him just die like that!" Link tried to think of a way to take out all of the enemies surrounding them at once so that Lana could rest peacefully without having to run any farther.

"Can you use your magic to levitate high in the air?" shouted Link as he beat away another stalfos. Without question, Lana started to hover just above Link's head in the air with the child in her arms.

Link began to gather energy into his sword, letting it build as much as he felt that he needed in order to get a proper attack. Once his sword began to glow with his own power, Link unleashed his mighty spin attack, cutting down every foe in the area, and also slicing up the walls around the market considerably.

Link dropped his sword as gorons began to plow past him into the Town to secure the rest of it. Lana and the boy dropped slowly to his side, and the barrier which surrounded them dispersed.

"Are you okay, Link?" asked Lana as Link knelt on the ground in fatigue.

"I'm alright."

"Yes."

Both Link and Lana looked down at the child who had suddenly spoken up as he was still clutching to Lana. "I'm sorry, is your name Link, too?" asked Lana as pleasantly as she could before she collapsed on the ground. "Don't worry, I'm okay," she tried to reassure the Hero.

"My name is Link," said the child simply. "Thank you for saving me." He quickly ran to hug Link in gratitude. He had soft blue eyes, and was dressed in playful clothes like a small boy should.

"I think she's the one you need to be thanking," said Link, sliding his knees across the ground to reach Lana. "What happened to you?"

"You know that spell that got us here?" panted Lana. "I didn't do it right!" She was chuckling past her exhausted coughs after she said this. "And I didn't want you to worry so I didn't tell you!"

"You idiot," sighed Link, as little Link continued to hold onto his left arm. "Still you managed to save this kid, so I forgive you." Link's shield clanged to the ground and he held onto Lana's hand. "Don't worry me like that again, though, you hear?"

"Right," said Lana, smiling through her pain.

"Link!" the voice of the mayor rang across the battered marketplace. "Link, are you okay?"

Kafei ran to where the three of them were, and little Link ran to meet his father's arms. "Daddy! These two saved me!" Kafei took Link and held him in his arms as he stood up tall.

"Not only you, they saved the whole town!" said Kafei. "You have my deepest gratitude, uh, what was your names?" Link looked from Lana whose eyes had closed to the man, considering whether or not he should reveal his name now that he began to suspect the reasoning behind the child's name.

"He's Link," Lana blurted out, "and my name's… Lana." After that, Link was sure that she was unconscious.

"Link…" started Kafei. "It can't be… no, no, just a coincidence, isn't it?" Kafei was eyeing Link seriously, taking in every detail of his appearance. "Minus the scarf and the chainmail, you do look exactly like him, though, give ten years." A small legion of soldiers caught up to the four of them standing there. "Men, take these two to my home and give them everything they need. They need their rest, and we need to give it to them."

Link tried to stand to save the embarrassment of being carried, but gave up after lamely falling to the ground next to the bleeding Lana. He had used every last bit of his power in that spin attack and it was seriously taking a toll on him.

He was lifted from the ground by four of the men who had followed Kafei there, and felt gracious that he didn't need to exert anymore energy for the remainder of the day as far as he could tell. "How's the rest of the Town?" he asked the mayor before they carried him from his sight.

"Once the gorons showed up, it was pretty easy to beat back the rest of them," said Kafei, letting his son back on the ground. "I assume they came here following you?"

"Yeah," sighed Link. "Courtesy of Big Brother over at the Goron Village at Snowhead."

"Hah!" laughed Kafei at Link's reply. "I knew that hardhead could be counted on if we were ever in serious trouble! I'll have to thank him personally."

Link closed his eyes and allowed himself to catch some well-needed rest as the soldiers carried him away from the battle scene. It was a rough day, but Link was only happy that Lana was still alive and safe. Even in the arms of the soldiers, Link hadn't let go of her hand.


	9. Chapter 9: The Last Tear

**Hello everyone! I know I said two weeks, but I got distracted with my other project, The Legend of Fire Emblem. So now it should be once a month. Also another thing that will get me to write more often and post more is that I've started to cut my chapters down from usually being 6-8,000 words a piece to being 3,500 on average. This is due to when I would sit down looking forward to writing a chapter, it would just be daunting and crazy to imagine what I'd be looking at writing. This is a good length for me, so expect more chapters of this length.**

 **Also, this chapter is awesome. I know it's the shortest one, but just read it.**

* * *

Lana was trembling with fatigue when she finally opened her eyes again. The wound that had been left from her hasty teleportation had closed, but the toll on her magical abilities was fierce. Unfortunately, she couldn't use healing magic on her own body. She looked around the room, wanting nothing more than to eat a large breakfast, hoping that by some miracle she'd be catered to immediately.

It was sometime around noon given the amount of sunlight that was spilling through the windows. The bed and the sheets were as fancy as a princess's, and Lana felt spoiled as she'd never slept in anything so fine in her life. The room itself was decorated in fancy woodworks that made her feel all the more royal.

Nobody stood in the room to greet her as she awoke. She still felt too weak to sit up and wondered why nobody had bothered to give her a potion or anything to help her heal quickly. _How long has it been?_ she wondered. She also felt a bit annoyed that Link wasn't waiting at her bedside to comfort her.

She sat for an unknown amount of time before the finely glossed wooden door opened to reveal a very thin, red-haired woman with soft blue eyes. Her hair barely reached her shoulders. Little Link followed her into the room, holding her hand, but also hiding behind her timidly.

"Oh! So you're finally awake," she said, quickly reaching the chair at Lana's bedside. "My son has been begging to see you again, but he's always so shy. Just as I was at his age. By the way, I'm Anju." Lana returned her warm smile weakly, still feeling exhausted.

"Where's Link?" asked Lana weakly. The boy was still hiding behind his mother, now sitting on the chair next to her.

"He'd been at your side until my husband sent for him," said Anju. "I don't know where he went." She looked down from Lana's eyes. "Actually… I lied. It may have something to do with you. You see, we've been trying potion after potion on you, but none of it seems to be working to completely heal you. Link left about a day ago, so I think he might've gone to see the witches."

Lana smiled at the thought of Link's apparent care, but squinted at the mention of the two mysterious witches. "Witches? Like—?"

"No, not like that at all," chuckled Anju. "They're quite friendly, but extremely stingy. Link will be hard pressed to convince them to produce their best potion."

"What will they do?"

"Oh, they claim that some certain mushroom has restorative properties that they alone can harness. They live out in the swamps, so it may take some time for Link to get back. Just rest, now, won't you?"

"Sorry to ask," started Lana, "but I'm actually starving." Her stomach had been growling beneath her bedsheets like crazy. She was startled that Anju seemed not to even notice.

Anju stood quickly out of her chair, causing her young son to jump in surprise. "Oh, I'm so sorry, let me fetch you something quickly!" She bolted from the room and left Lana alone to her thoughts once again. She looked beneath her sheets to see how her wound was fairing. It was wrapped beneath layers of bandages, but she could see the line of blood was still fresh. She was hoping that it was Anju who had been attending to the wounds instead of anyone else.

Before long, Anju had returned to the room with a meal of breakfast foods. To Lana it all looked so delicious, with the toasted bread, the steaming sausages, and the scrambled cucco eggs. Anju placed the tray on Lana's lap, ensuring that she wouldn't touch the injury with it. "Eat up!" she exclaimed cheerfully. Little Link hadn't come with her this time.

Lana picked up her utensils and immediately took a large bite of cucco eggs. Though they looked delicious, they tasted absolutely dreadful. Out of politeness, Lana kept on chewing through the odd spices that Anju had apparently flavored them with. She was simply astounded that someone could possibly make something as simple as cucco eggs taste bad.

Next, she timidly reached for the toast, which looked fine enough, but after the disaster with the eggs, she wasn't fully confident. Taking a crunchy bite, she quickly realized that the underside of the toast must've been completely burned despite the top half looking perfectly brown. Not quite as bad as the eggs, but it was still burnt toast.

She flashed a cheesy smile at the expectant Anju, saying nothing at her innocent look of appreciation. There was but one thing left on the plate of food she had to try. The sausages. She stuck one with her fork, hearing the delicious ooze of fat escape it, and lifted the thick link to her mouth. She was utterly surprised at how delicious it tasted, and chewed it quickly before swallowing it. She refused to take another bite, knowing that it had to be the last thing she'd eat after swallowing the rest of the food.

"How is it?" questioned Anju. It looked like she was excited for someone to be eating her food.

"Oh it's all so unique!" replied Lana cheerfully. She couldn't help but be honest. She'd never tasted eggs like that before.

"That's exactly what Kafei always says, too!" She grinned widely as she allowed Lana to continue swallowing the rest of the food with the cow milk waiting at her side. "I prepared the eggs and the toast, but he insisted on cooking the sausage. Usually he's the one who cooks in this family, but I just wanted to do it for you so badly he agreed." Lana continued to try and eat the eggs quickly enough that she wouldn't have to endure the sour taste. When she noticed Anju look away (which she rarely did), she quickly scraped the burnt crisps away from the toast so that she could at least enjoy the simplicity of toast.

Finally, it came to the sausage, which Lana savored every bite of. With every bite, it would erase a bit more of the taste left in her mouth from the eggs. Upon finishing, Anju handed her the glass of cow milk, which she drank carefully, as it started to make her wound ache.

"How long have we been here?" asked Lana, handing the glass and the tray back to Anju.

"Three days."

Lana allowed that new information to sit with her for a while. She couldn't believe that it had been so long since she had messed up on her spell, and yet the wound was still there. It had sealed, but blood still found its way through. Anju once again started towards the door to return the dishes to where she was likely going to clean them.

"That boy really cares about you," said Anju as she opened the door and turned her head to speak. "As soon as he felt better, he sat by your side just waiting for you to wake up until my husband sent for him. You're one lucky girl to have found a man like that." Anju walked through the open door, leaving Lana to blush harder than she had in a long time.

 _Three days? He sat by my side for three days?_ Lana had tried to resist the urges that she'd had towards falling completely in love with the hero, and she just felt herself slip. There was no longer any question in her mind about what was to be done. She was going to tell him. She had no reason not to anymore. Even though she wasn't sure if he loved her, she knew that he cared. She knew that he felt something.

She heard Anju start exclaiming something in the hallways, when suddenly the door swung open once again. There he stood, garbed in the green tunic of the Hero of Legend, his blue scarf hanging around his neck. He was holding a bottle with a blue liquid inside, Lana assuming that it was the legendary potion Anju had been referring to. Even though she had just resigned herself to tell him how she felt, she was trembling at the thought of actually doing so.

Link walked straight over to Lana with a large grin spread across his face. "I hope this helps," he said sheepishly holding up the bottle. He uncorked the top and small fumes escaped the bottle. "I'll help you." Even though Lana was fully capable of taking the bottle and drinking it herself, she allowed her hero to ease it down her throat.

The liquid was absolutely disgusting, though not quite as bad as Anju's eggs. But the restorative powers lived up to what the witches' claimed it would. Immediately Lana felt the wound close completely, replacing it with smooth skin. Not only that, but she felt all of her energy and magical ability restore in full. "Wow, they weren't kidding," said Lana, as Link took the half-empty bottle away.

It was time. "So… Link," said Lana nervously. "I need to tell you something." She boldly reached out her hand and grabbed Link's gloved one. Link looked at her intently, as if expecting some kind of profound revelation of knowledge to escape her lips. This was it. "I'm in lo—!"

Proxi burst into the room followed by Kafei, and immediately Lana shut her mouth before 've with you!' could manage to get out. _Why now?_ she panicked. Proxi flew right up to Lana's face, her glow continuing to encompass her form.

"What were you about to say?!" exclaimed Proxi in her ears. "Oh please please please say it already!" Proxi flew from Link to Lana several times as if she was filled with some kind of lightning.

"N-n-nothing!" replied Lana, her face glowing as it never had before. Link looked confused, but also let down that Lana had stopped mid-sentence. It almost seemed like he _wanted_ her to say it. "I-it was nothing, really!" She took her hand away from Link's and ushered everyone to leave so that she could get dressed, now that she was full of energy.

She felt a mixture of relief and shame that she hadn't been able to get the words out, but was certain that another time would present itself soon enough. There was clearly something that Link wanted to discuss as well.

* * *

Link quickly left the room as Lana was pleading with them to leave her. He felt slightly taken aback that the moment he'd been looking forward to with her had ended so soon. _Should've told Proxi and Kafei to wait outside_ , he thought.

 _I'm in lo_ — continued to echo in his head. Was she really about to say what he thought she was? He wasn't sure what the feeling he had for her was. Over the past few weeks, some kind of feeling he didn't recognize had surrounded Lana. It started to grow when he was locked away in the Pirates' Fortress, and steadily grew stronger when he was waiting for her to wake up.

As he continued to get more and more lost in the swamps while looking for the mushroom, he couldn't stop picturing her smile in his head. That if he could just find it and give her the potion, he could see it again. More than any feeling that he'd ever had for Hyrule's Princess when he left her to come to this mysterious land. The kiss he'd left on her forehead didn't seem like enough anymore.

"Well, that was close," said Kafei behind his back. Kafei walked quickly around to face him with his red eyes in the hallway. "She had that same look in her eyes that Anju did when she first told me she loved me." Link's thoughts continued to race around what his feelings could mean.

Kafei turned around and led him into his main office where they would wait for Lana to join them. He sat behind his ornate, yet simple desk, and gestured for Link to also take a seat in one of the padded chairs. "I look at you and see the same man I was," said Kafei, leaning his elbows on the desk.

"Whaddyou mean by that?" asked Proxi, who had followed them quietly.

"Heh, well, before I proposed to Anju, there was another girl I'd been thinking quite a lot about," he began, resting his chin on his hands. "Her name was Cremia. She owns a ranch with her sister just a few miles away from town here, but don't worry, she's married to some guy now, too. Never bothered to learn his name, but I think he was a rancher just the same.

"Anyways, I used to think about that cute farm girl all the time. She was strong, talented, and a great cook, not to mention one of Anju's closest friends. That's where it got… interesting." Link looked at him, remembering his own plight, with women far superior to that of simple rancher or inn attendant. "You see, even though I'd had these feelings for Cremia, and I don't deny that they were real, I fell completely in love with Anju. Oh, there was no turning back for me."

"How did you choose?" asked Link, sincerely hoping that Kafei would give him the answer he needed.

"I didn't," he replied smartly. "I didn't _choose_ either of them. To me, there was no choice to be made, and if there had been, I'd still be a bachelor today, or worse an unfaithful husband."

"What does that even mean?" questioned Proxi.

"I don't think it's possible to love two girls equally, Link. Any man who says he does must be lying or not even understand how it feels to love. I fell in love with Anju, stronger than I'd ever felt for Cremia. I didn't have to choose anything. It was obvious and I proposed to her when I couldn't contain the feelings anymore." Kafei leaned back in his chair, eyeing Link expectantly.

"That's when Link came in, isn't it?" said Link, recalling the stories that Kafei had told him about the first time the Hero of Time had crossed his path.

"Well, yes," he replied, smiling. "I knew it wasn't you, but you have the same spirit in you."

Link sat silently for a while. He knew exactly what Kafei was talking about. The feelings he described were precisely what he felt now, albeit the rancher was a Princess, and the innkeeper was a Sorceress. _Wait, what?!_

Before he had time to exclaim his thoughts to Kafei, Lana swiftly took a seat next him in front of Kafei's desk, now fully dressed in her playful blue clothes as always. She smiled shyly at Link, which brought warm feelings into his chest. He'd been waiting three days to see that smile.

"Lana! I…" he couldn't find the words.

"Thanks for saving me again!" she exclaimed smiling brightly. "Really, you do way too much sometimes." Link wanted Kafei to leave them for a moment, but suddenly remembered a more pressing matter that he had learned while in the Swamp.

"I know where the last Tear is!" he exclaimed suddenly, turning back to Kafei who looked shocked at the proclamation.

"Lana, let me fill you in on what you've been missing the past few days," said Proxi, floating to the middle of the desk, so that all eyes would be directed on her glowing form. "So, Kafei's been a mayor for a long time here, but he was also in town when the Tears fell to the ground in the first place. He remembers seeing the original Hero of Time give the Tear to a Deku Scrub who lived by the Clock."

"Proxi, I think I can take it from here," said Kafei, raising his hand to silence the fairy. "Now that my history is out of the way, let's get on to what you _missed._ Link, or rather, Proxi explained everything to me about Vaati, the Mask, and even the Tears. Well, my first priority was ensuring that you would recover quickly enough to continue helping out our cause.

"I told them about how I'd seen the Hero give the Moon's Tear in exchange for a flower bud next to the Clock. Which got me thinking… it's almost definitely in the hands of the Deku tribe, but I honestly had no idea where or which Deku scrub might have it. I just told Link that when he was out looking for that mushroom and the witches, he better keep his eyes and ears open for any info on the whereabouts of the Tear, because as it is, the swamp is where you can find the Deku Kingdom."

"That's when we took our journey there," continued Proxi, annoyed at Kafei's interjection. "We asked the witches if they knew anything about the Moon's Tear, or about any special magical rock that might be worth something.

"They said that the Deku Princess herself has it! They'd been trying to bargain with her for it so they could do some weird tests on it or something, and that all we'd have to do is the same. Of course… we don't really have a lot of money," Kafei let out a slight cough, "but I'm sure she'll give it to us if we just tell her what's happening!"

Lana's eyes lit up in awe. "So, there's still hope after all? Vaati doesn't know where it is?"

"Well," began Kafei, "he knows that it's somewhere in the Swamp. That's what Gorman says, anyways. Fortunately, Vaati doesn't know that Gorman has been feeding us intel, but I really am starting to fear for his life. If he's not careful…"

Link felt Lana's hand grasp his own. He looked at her, but she was still staring at Kafei, taking in his words. "We have to get him to stop for his own safety!" she exclaimed.

"Can't," said Kafei. "I've tried, but he is one hundred percent dedicated to taking that freak down. It's hard to watch." Kafei stood up. "Even then, I'm going with you this time." Link hadn't noticed earlier, but Kafei had his rapier sheathed at his belt. As realization swept through him, Lana already started speaking up.

"You can't!" she shouted, releasing Link's hand to stand up to face Kafei. "What about your family?!" Anju quickly walked into the room from behind them.

"Exactly," she said, startling Link and Lana with her presence. "When you and Link have your own, you'll understand just how far a father will go to protect his child."

Link almost fell from his chair at the shock that he felt when Anju implied his own marriage to Lana, but wasn't exactly displeased with the ideas that started to swell in his mind. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" shouted Lana, looking embarrassingly at Link. He let a small smile escape his lips, which only fueled her apparent embarrassment. "O-oh, well then if you put it that way…" she sighed, starting to settle down.

"I'm going, and that's it," said Kafei, walking from around his desk to accompany his wife out the door, leaving Link alone with the blushing sorceress.

She stood completely lost in her thoughts, opening and closing her mouth as if trying to speak, but being unable to find the words to say. Link remembered what she almost said earlier, and thought it best to put her at ease so that she could finish the thought that she had started. So that he could hear the words that he wanted to hear her say.

He thought for a moment about what he could say to Lana now that they were alone. He stood up and crossed over to where Lana was still standing, completely flustered. Not knowing what else to say or do, he took her in an embrace, allowing his feelings for her which had been built up after so long to have free reign. He wasn't going to let what he felt for Zelda hold him back anymore. Not after what Kafei said about Anju.

At first Lana simply stood still as Link's arms held her close to him, but slowly as she regained her composure, Lana's hands found their way behind his neck. Her fingers began to fiddle with the scarf. He looked down at her, her eyes brimming with hope, and her soft, pink lips curved in a smile. Her cheeks looked slightly red, and her breathing was steady and calm, just as it had been when she was sleeping.

"Link…" said Lana, her hands growing stiffer on his neck. "I'm in love with you. There, I said it. I've wanted to say it forever, like ever since I first met you. Even before then, but it was just so weird and… and it didn't feel real. But now… I know that I do. I—!"

Before Lana could finish her proclamation, Link finally let himself bring his lips to meet her own. As he felt her soft lips begin to caress his own, a thousand immortal fires flared within his chest. For a moment, he forgot to breathe, taking in every ecstatic emotion that began to blaze across his mind. He wondered stronger than ever about why he had waited so long for this moment to happen, the tenderness of her lips blessing the touch of his own. When she broke away, he was left in a bliss, though confused as to why it had to be over so quickly. "Lana, I—."

"Woah," she panted, her hands breaking from around his neck, one of them resting on his shoulder, the other swaying lazily at her side. "Well, that'll make a good memory!" She sprinted from the room, leaving Link alone, or so he thought.

"Wow!" exclaimed Proxi, startling Link so much that he jumped. "Gee, if Volga was here right now, he'd kill you!"

* * *

 **Boom! There it is. They done it. See it was short, but the content surpassed the others by a long shot (Zelda pun intended of course). Now in the next few chapters, we're taking a break from Link and Lana to see what Volga has been up to. Unless I hear protests and you're okay with finding out later?**

 **Post-update: Screw the app for my phone. Made me think I could freely edit the chapters without consequences. Suddenly words have no spaces between them, paragraphs are screwed up and etc. If you happened to view it during my repair time, I apologize.**


	10. Chapter 10: Romani Ranch

**This is much more popular than my Legend of Fire Emblem fanfic, so basically that one will be on hiatus until I finish this one. Let it be known that after this chapter, there should be about 4 or 5 left depending on how long I decide to make them. So expect more updates when I have days off again. Also, what finally got me off my butt to write again was a PM about how much a certain reader loved this fic. So KNOW THAT YOUR OPINIONS ARE HEARD!**

 **Like I said in the last chapter, if I heard few to no objections with Volga's chapters happening now, I would go with Volga's chapters. As they are also very important to the story, and I'm a troll who will keep you waiting after Lana's confession and Link's kiss. Ooh I wish I could just tell you now what'll happen. But that's no fun! I heard two objections, and I was looking for three! Or am I trolling? You decide.**

* * *

"We leave, now," said Volga, beckoning for Link and Lana to follow him to the skirmish mentioned by the old Owl. Volga was aware of the heroes he had chosen to travel with, and had no intention of helping anyone aside from the White Sorceress who had saved his life. But he also understood that these two heroes would never refuse to help good people in need, which is why he chose that he must deceive them.

As soon as he noticed that the light in the tunnel to the lake area was gone, he stopped in his tracks, allowing Link and Lana to continue to the fight themselves. _I didn't catch all of it_ , he thought of the lie he told them about the Owl's words. In fact, he had captured every dreary word of the Owl's speech. _Link can protect her in my absence. He certainly has taken quite a liking to her already._

The Fierce Deity's Mask. That blabbing Owl had told them exactly where it was, although Volga wasn't about to let Lana risk her life in trying to obtain it. It was simply too dangerous for her to seek in such a place. A place where the gods poured their wrath upon the foolishness of the Terminians. A place where a mask of such a deity could rest without being disturbed by greedy hands.

Volga waited for Link and Lana to be out of his sight before he stepped back to the Goron Village. _The old Owl said it was to the East. I will follow the two for now, until I can be sure that the boy can protect her. When I know, that's when I will take my journey._ He sat on the icy floor outside of the cave, listening intently to the clangs and explosions that sounded from the battlefield just a few yards away.

His blood began to pump faster through his heart as he pictured the thrill of the battle that must've been ensuing, but held himself back from it. If he were present, the Sorceress would worry too much about his wellbeing instead of her own, and he wasn't about to let her see him as a burden. She would have to focus her attention upon herself, and allow the boy to do the same for her.

An hour passed by, and the sounds of battle quickly died. He stood up from the icy floor and transfigured his shoulder blades into the fiery wings they were meant to be. He flew up just over the cap of the mountain that divided the lake from the Village, the air around him still radiating his fire.

Lana and the boy were following a Goron, apparently a survivor, into another tunnel like the first they had gone through. Volga stretched his wings and completed the full transformation from man to Dragon, and flew speedily over the mountain top and to the tunnel wherein the Sorceress had chosen to make residence.

Volga had chosen to follow this same pattern of following her in the world they had come from, and continued to keep to the shadows and his dragon form as much as possible, to keep his senses sharp and his mind ready to kill any who threatened her.

Days passed, until the couple had amassed themselves a sizable force of Gorons and made their way to the ocean. Volga refrained himself from engaging in yet another violent battle, seeing the boy risk his very life to protect her once again. It was then Volga decided he would take his journey.

He watched as Link was escorted by his former enemies to their base. "You'd better not fail her, boy," he said under his breath, turning towards the South to make his retreat.

He took off in his full dragon form to make his trip as quickly as possible. When he had gone far enough away, he took full flight to the skies, knowing that neither Link nor Lana would see him at that distance from the earth, and even if they did, they had no knowledge of where he'd be going. He also observed that to the South there was plenty of cloud cover in the darkening sky.

 _Just a few more miles south before I head to the East._ He continued to fly over the top of yet another mountain range, and then he saw a large ranch beneath him. There were cows littering the fields where they grazed, and Volga felt his dragon-like instincts urge him to feed upon the them, but he resisted.

He could make out the figures of three humans among them, though from his height they seemed like mere ants, even with the enhanced vision his dragon senses gave him. The clouds began to engulf him. He quickly realized these clouds were the kind to bring heavy rains along with them. In fact, the change they underwent so quickly began to worry him. The once white clouds were now a dark gray, and thunder began to sound all around him in the air.

 _Not here, not now!_ he thought, changing his course directly to the East, hoping he could outrun this deadly force which was now upon him. The rain began to condense all around him, making the powers of his flames somewhat useless.

He opened his mouth and let out a breath of flame that extended for about a hundred feet to try and clear a path through the clouds, but it was quickly put out by the surrounding wetness. Steam began to rise around his form as the water evaporated from his heat.

"You were a fool to follow me here," said a cool voice from every direction. "After what happened to you last time you faced me, you still felt in your heart to try and defeat me alone?" Volga spewed his fire in every direction he could, looking for the source of the voice.

"No, that's not it," said the voice, growing closer all around him. "You wouldn't be that foolish, the girl must be around here as well." Volga flew as fast as he could to escape this invisible foe, but the voice continued to surround him no matter how far he flew.

"And if she's here, that means that he must be here as well," said the voice, before a bolt of lightning flashed towards Volga, missing him by mere inches. "And yet I find you alone." As he flew the voice followed, but directly in front of him appeared the imp. He was still wearing Majora's Mask, which had jagged lighting dancing around it. There was a strange aura of darkness which reminded Volga so much of Cia that he felt a shiver run down his draconic spine.

"You're the fool for showing yourself to me," said Volga, materializing his spear in one of his claws and charging directly at him. The spear was stopped as if it hit an invisible steel barrier inches away from Vaati's masked face. Reacting quickly, Volga breathed his flames as powerfully as he could at the sorcerer. He transfigured himself back to his human form for which he was more familiar with hand-to-hand combat, keeping only his wings to keep him airborne.

When his flames finally subsided, Vaati floated panting, the tips of his purple robes now singed and withering away. "You've improved? How is that even possible?" yelled the sorcerer. "It's been no more than a week!" A bolt of lightning launched from his hand, but Volga quickly flew out of the way taking another lunge at Vaati, who deflected the spear with a wave of magic.

Volga let another breath of fire escape his lips, and noticed Vaati quickly disappear behind him. He brought his spear to meet his predictable foe in the air, just cutting along his outstretched arm, and heard his foe gasping in pain. "HOW?!" shouted Vaati in his confusion.

"I'll tell you how when I'm clawing that despicable mask from your hideous face!" Volga brought his spear back into both hands, readying himself for Vaati's next attack, which came from below. It was a gust of wind so thin and powerful it would have no trouble slicing through a tree trunk, but Volga again had anticipated his move. He surrounded the tip of his spear in the hottest flames he could produce and beat the wind until it diluted.

Four bolts of lightning flew in at him from every angle, but he quickly flew up out of their way. He transfigured one his free arm into his draconic claw and flew right up to Vaati. He felt the same barrier of protection covering him, but forced his arm through it, which caused many of the scales on the claw to be ripped from it. Volga closed his claw around Vaati's throat and felt the barrier lift.

In his panic, Vaati attempted one last attack on Volga's mind. The powers of darkness began to fill his thoughts, and he lost his grip around Vaati's throat in his anguish. _Serve me. Serve me. Serve me! SERVE ME! LET THE DARKNESS REIGN IN YOUR HEART AND SERVE ME!_ The same words echoed in his mind when Cia had overtaken his soul. Volga pushed the thoughts away from his mind, and began to think of Lana, her light, shining in his heart. It was the light he had chosen to protect, and he wasn't going to let it burn out.

"RRRRRAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!" shouted Volga, banishing the curse from his mind, and regaining his composure before Vaati had a chance to strike at his mind or body once again. The rains were still heavy around him, but his flames felt hotter than ever, even to him.

"I… I tossed you aside so easily in Hyrule," panted Vaati, his hands placed on the Mask. "Even without the power this Mask possesses, I did so."

"Do you think I'd really allow myself to be defeated by the same enemy twice?!" shouted Volga through the rains and thunder. "I know I have no power to kill you, there is not enough light within me, but I can ensure you will be no threat when _he_ can!"

" _Ugh_ , I can't believe you can't even take care of a simple dragon," a new voice spouted out of nowhere. It was childish, and had a slight echo to it. "And here you wanted to rule the dimensions of time with _my_ power?"

It was coming from Majora's Mask. Volga was dumbfounded that the Mask had a consciousness enough to speak to its bearer. "Blast! I thought I had control over you already!" shouted an angry Vaati, shaking his head in misery as the Mask taunted him.

"Not quite yet, I'm afraid," said Majora. "I'm not even at my full strength yet, how can you hope to control my power for yourself?" Volga grew angry that the Mask was painting this as Vaati's own weakness rather than attributing it to Volga's own strength.

"Shut up and fight me if you think it to be a simple task!" shouted Volga, charging his spear with fire and going straight for Majora's Mask. Before reaching his target, he was immediately swallowed by a floating ball of water. His vision foggy, he saw that Majora's Mask was now floating in front of his new watery prison. The ball of water was immediately charged with lightning, completely immobilizing Volga and sending jolts of pain throughout his body.

The water dispersed, but he had no strength left to fly. He fell like the rain to the ranch below him. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the Mask floating away from Vaati as he followed it. It was black before he hit the earth.

* * *

"Sister! He's waking up!" It was the beautiful voice of a woman that was reaching his ears. Volga tried to sit up quickly, but felt no strength within his body to do so. He opened his eyes and saw a wooden roof, and the bed he was lying in was made of straw. His armor and helmet had been removed, which made him feel uncomfortable and unprotected.

He looked for the source of the voice, and only saw a flash of red hair escaping from the room. It was a dainty place that smelled of cow manure. He began to feel the pains all throughout his limbs, remembering the lightning that flashed all around him in the water before he passed out.

"Romani, I told you not to get me unless he was actually awake this time," said the voice of an older, yet equally beautiful voice.

"Romani—er—I mean it this time!" shouted the younger voice, the sounds of footsteps announcing their arrival in the room. "Roma—I saw his eyes open!"

"Are you ever going to get over that habit?" said the voice of a man from a distance within the house. "Is it really that hard to say 'I or me'?"

"Well, _I_ still don't like you," said the young voice, now inside of the room. Volga thought the conversation was simply too petty for his liking, and tried to sit up again to no avail.

"Like me or not, I'm still in charge of this ranch now!" Volga looked to see the new arrivals in the room and saw two extremely similar-looking girls, albeit one was probably ten years the senior of the younger one.

The young girl was likely in her late teens or early twenties, and her red hair shined beautifully in the light of the lantern which sat on the table. She had big blue eyes and a round, yet thin face. Her body was slender, but she looked strong.

The older girl was clearly her sister, as she looked nearly identical to her, but her hair was not as smooth and a bit more frazzled. She stood a bit taller than her younger sister as well, but apart from those small differences and few tiny wrinkles, they were indistinguishable. Although the looks on their faces, the young one being twisted with rage and the older a look of concern, also told Volga they were very different in their personalities.

"Cremia is still in charge, you moron!" shouted the young girl who had called herself Romani earlier. "Just because you're a MAN doesn't mean you automatically own the Ranch we built!"

The man in the other room didn't reply, nor did any footsteps announce his arrival. "I don't think he meant it like that, Romani," said Cremia, trying to cool her sister's anger. "But he has been here for over five years now, and we've gotten quite a lot of business since he's been around."

"We all know that's why you married him, anyways," said Romani, walking to Volga in his straw bed. "You never actually loved him, and neither does Romani." Cremia didn't reply to such hurtful words that, if they were true, Volga approved of. Though he was no romantic, he saw no reason in marriage apart from love. It was a useless gesture he had never considered before.

"Anyways, you see, he's up!" Volga realized that they had been the ones to bring him in and at least tend to whatever wounds he had ended up with.

"Where am I?" said Volga, impatiently. He had no time to be there.

"Romani Ranch!" said Romani. "As you can see, Romani—er—I was named after it!"

"I can't be here," said Volga, trying and succeeding to sit up, however much pain shot through his body as he did so. "I need to go to the Stone Tower Temple."

"Why in Termina would you want to go there?" asked Cremia, stepping next to her sister. "And no, don't even think about leaving yet. It's only been a day, and when we found you, you had broken arms, broken back, and there was blood coming from your nose and your ears. You're staying right here until you completely heal up."

Volga transfigured his arms slightly to his dragon claws, which set his bones in place and mended them, however extremely painful it was to do so, but he didn't let a yelp escape his lips. The girls leapt back in fear at the quick transformation, but Romani quickly ran back to him with her eyes gleaming. "There, my arms are better, and there's no blood coming from my nose or ears now. I can leave then I imagine." He transfigured his spine beneath the sheets, and this time let himself roar in pain, letting a small light of fire escape, but constrained himself so that it wouldn't burn the place down. "Aaand that was my spine."

"That's it, I'm definitely calling you Dragonfly!" shouted Romani in awe. "And you definitely can't leave until you show me more of that! Or at least until you can walk to the edge of the Ranch without my help."

"Romani…" started Cremia in a worried tone. "I think he can go if he wants to."

"What are we going to just cartwheel him out and drop him on the ground outside of the Ranch?" said Romani smartly, grabbing Volga's hand and pulling him straight from the bed. He was grateful for the garments that still covered him from the waist down.

He only stood for a few moments before he collapsed from exhaustion and pain. It was too much for him. In this state, he would only be a burden on the White Sorceress. At least he could recover over the next few days before he could go.

"See!" shouted Romani in triumph even though Volga was in pain. "He can't go anywhere like this. Let alone the Stone Tower Temple. The last person I knew to actually make it there was Grasshopper, and we haven't seen him in forever!"

"Could… someone get my armor for me?" asked Volga. "I feel better with it on." Romani ran from the room to go and get it while Cremia tenderly helped him get back into bed.

"Sorry about her," said Cremia, laying him back on the straw. "She's a bit eccentric. But I don't quite trust you yet, so I'll be the one keeping an eye on you for now."

Volga made no protest and laid back in the bed, resigning himself to recover while Link and Lana continued their adventure.


	11. Chapter 11: Them

**What's this? It's been less than a week and he's updating again? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'm updating again. I had a free day from work and decided to give it a go. I want to finish this story, and it's getting to a close. I'm not going to promise that I'll update this rapidly again, but don't be surprised if I do.**

* * *

Volga attempted to fly again, only to come crashing down as he had over the past five days of his recovery. "Come on, Dragonfly!" shouted Romani cheerfully, sitting on a hay bale watching over Volga. Cremia and her husband were milking the cows in the barn. "You almost had it that time!" Her patronizing words brought Volga no comfort, but he didn't mind the company.

"Almost isn't going to help me get there!" shouted Volga, kneeling on the grass of the fields. "Isn't there anything else you can do to help me?" He was beginning to get frustrated with himself. He had to be of some use, even now.

"We've already given you enough Chateau Romani," said Romani. "I have no idea why you can't go full dragon anymore."

Volga continued to sit in the grass as he pondered what he could do. He looked at his gloved hands. He had made a complete physical recovery. He could run for miles without growing weary even in his armor, but for some reason he couldn't get himself off the ground. Even his fiery breath seemed to be lacking in power, and he'd begun to feel the 'cold' that Link and Lana had described to him at Snowhead.

"I would have no trouble killing you and everyone around this place in no less than an afternoon," said Volga, looking over at the girl who continued to watch him with her elbows on her knees. "Yet I can't transfigure myself into my true form. This is some kind of prank the goddesses must be inflicting upon me."

Romani sighed and strode over to wear Volga continued to sit. "You're not much of a conversationalist, you know. Romani's brother-in-law still tells us that we should just make you leave, and the fact that you keep saying things about how easy it would be to kill us kind of makes me understand why. Why don't you just leave, Dragonfly?"

"I've nowhere to go," said Volga, defeated.

"Exactly!" Romani grabbed Volga by his arm and lifted as hard as she could until he was standing. "So you're going to help me with my chores today. You owe Romani that much."

"If that is what you wish," sighed Volga, trying to keep his temper under control.

"Have you ever considered that maybe you're not a dragon who can turn into a human, but you're the other way around?" She continued to prod him with these questions ever since he had come to their residence.

Volga didn't answer, but followed her to the Cucco Coop. His stomach growled as he eyed the tasty cuccos. "I know they look tasty, but don't get the wrong idea. We use them mostly for the eggs, we only eat one occasionally."

Volga grabbed a handful of the feed and began to walk around the small enclosure. He spread the feed easily across the field, prodding the cuccos to interact with each other. It was peaceful, unlike the way Volga had felt the entirety of his life. Almost a desirable feeling, though he craved to bring his spear back into combat again.

"Can you at least tell me why you're in Termina yet?" asked Romani, coming back to his side. "I think I've earned that much by now."

"Can you tell me why you keep switching from saying 'I' and 'Romani'?" Volga had noticed that she'd been doing that from the moment he met her.

"Hmph, I'll answer your question if you answer mine," pouted Romani, grabbing his arm once again and leading him to another of her chores. "Romani does that… I've called myself Romani ever since I was just a little girl. Romani always felt like it was… cute. Gave me a personality. But I'm trying to change. I've grown up, and there's no point in Romani—er—me doing that anymore." She looked at Volga expectantly as they walked through the fields of grass. The sun was getting lower in the sky, basking the landscape in an orange glow.

Volga walked with her in silence. He didn't feel quite like telling her the reasons he found himself in Termina, nor what he had to do at the Stone Tower Temple. "Oh, come on," said Romani. "I told you my secret, now you tell me yours!"

"Doesn't sound like much of an equal secret," said Volga, watching Romani continue to walk her way to where the horses stood in their stable near the house. "It doesn't concern you."

Romani pouted until they reached the horses. She clearly wanted to know more about Volga, but he simply wasn't willing to tell her. Not without reason. "If you really want to leave so much, I'll ask Cremia if you can use one of these horses. You'll probably die, but that's not my problem!" She began to pet one of the horses tenderly, bringing the feed to its mouth. "There, there, Romani's here. She won't let this bad man hurt you."

Though it was simply an animal, Volga could sense the deep love the girl felt towards the horse. Her tender words towards it could clearly be sensed by the horse as it neighed affectionately. _Bad man_ , he thought. _She's not wrong_.

He attempted the same kind of treatment to one of the horses that also stood within the stable. He awkwardly held up his hand to pet the horse, but felt the horse grow nervous as his hand reached closer to it. He withdrew his hand and simply held up the bucket of oats for it to feed. Even then, the horse hesitated to eat.

"Oh, Dragonfly, that's not how you do it," said Romani, coming over to him. "And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you a bad man. The horses just seem so nervous around you."

"You didn't speak falsely," said Volga, allowing her to take the bucket from his hands. "I am a…" He didn't finish his sentence, allowing Romani to take over feeding the horse. He'd never come quite that close to opening up to someone before. He didn't know why he almost did. He had no reason to.

"Like you've said, you could easily kill us all within the afternoon," said Romani, as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the mountain, leaving the sky a mixture of orange and purple, while the stars began to dot the sky. "And you didn't. See, you're not so bad."

Volga could sense easily why the animals all trusted her so much. He had no argument within his own mind against her statement, despite his inner beliefs of his own guilt. "I…" he started to say, before Romani thrust the bucket back into his hands.

"You're feeding the next one, Dragonfly," said Romani, leading him to the last of the three horses they'd acquired. "He's a real bugger; you two'll get along fine."

Volga looked from the bucket of oats in his hands to the horse. He had a black coat of hair. "How?"

"Don't try to copy me," said Romani, nudging him closer to it. "Do it in your own genuine way. Pretend like… I dunno, like he's your soldier or something."

Volga recalled the Dodongos he once kept as pets. The ones Cia had killed. He remembered his entire army, the ones who had called him their dragon king. All within the mountains and volcanos. All of it gone within the day, and he thought of how much hell he'd be willing to go through to get it all back.

Volga didn't have the tender touch of a farmer like Romani, but he did have the demanding presence of a leader. The horse looked at Volga as he eyed him. It couldn't see beneath the mask, and Volga decided to change that. He removed his helmet, allowing the horse to see the face of the man who'd done so much evil.

He picked the bucket of oats off the ground and started to feed the horse. It willingly did as Volga willed it to do, as if the horse could see into his head. "Very good," said Romani. "I thought he'd bite you like he always—!"

A slight pain ran through Volga's hand as the horse's teeth sunk into it, but he didn't drop the bucket. The horse continued to feed on the oats, Volga not even flinching at the pain. In fact, a small flicker of a smile appeared on his face before he gave the bucket back to Romani and placed his helmet back on his head.

"You look better without it," said Romani, leading him back to the barn where Cremia and her husband were just emerging. Cremia's husband ignored them once again and walked back into the house. Cremia stood at the door of the barn.

"You seemed to have enjoyed yourself, Romani," she said, acknowledging the smile on her sister's face. "Maybe Volga will sleep inside the house for once?" She had been asking Volga to move from the barn to the house for the past two days now. Volga still declined the offer, and allowed Cremia to go back to her husband.

"You can tell she's been crying," said Romani, now that they were alone in the barn. "She's never loved that pig, yet she has to sleep in the same bed as him every night. Stupid Kafei…"

For the first time, Volga felt a curiosity about the farmer's he'd been living with grow. "Kafei?" asked Volga, sitting on his straw bed near the cows.

"Yeah… he's the mayor of Clock Town now," started Romani, sitting next to Volga on the straw bed, causing him to anticipate a longer story than he'd hoped for. "A long time ago, he dated Cremia. Or I should say he took her out on a lot of dates. She… she fell completely in love with the guy. Even I did. Well, you know, in a sisterly kind of way.

"He was so nice, charming, and he'd help us out on the farm all the time, and heck we really needed the help, too. Anyways… one day he just stopped coming by. We'd see him in town, and he'd say hi, and still be all nice to us. Urghhh! Makes Romani so mad! He'd fallen in love with someone else!

"About a month later we heard at the Milk Bar from the barkeep that Kafei was engaged to the other girl. Romani has never seen Cremia cry like that before. I wasn't sure if she was ever going to get over him, and we even went to the stupid wedding after the world almost ended!

"A few years ago, her dumb husband came along and started helping out at the ranch and sister decided to marry him because she never thought she'd have the chance to get married again. Now he lives here, and I don't know if he'll ever get his ugly face out of here again. That's why Kafei is stupid… that's why I… ughh." Romani looked at Volga beneath his helmet with a small fire in her eyes.

"Dragonfly, if you ever make a girl fall in love with you, you better make sure you marry her! Don't ruin her life like my sister!" She stood up and continued to cry into the sky. "Stupid Grasshopper!" She kicked a stool a few feet away and crashed onto the floor, tears now flowing freely from her eyes.

"Even he went and got married, I think… stupid hero." Volga stood from his bed and walked over to the weeping girl. He placed a gloved hand on her shoulder without speaking. He understood who this 'Grasshopper' person was now, to her, and to Termina. He was a reincarnation of the Hero of Legend, the same who continued to travel with Lana through this land. "He… he was the only person who believed me."

"How do you know?"

"Romani left Romani Ranch about two years to look for him…" her sobbing decreased as she continued. "I never stopped thinking about what he did for us, and I wanted to see if… if we could be something more.

"Well, I made it to a place called Hyrule. Some place called Lon Lon Ranch. I'd heard that a boy who used to have a fairy lived there, so I had to check to see if Grasshopper was there. He wasn't wearing green, but I know it was him. And he had a wife who looked exactly like Romani. Heh, she even looked like me… I guess he did feel something. So I came back here without letting him see me and never got married or anything. I mean there've been proposals of course. Jim most of the time. But they aren't heroes. They aren't courageous or noble. Not like Kafei… not like Grasshopper…"

Volga asked one more question. "You say the Hero was married to a farm girl?" He had been convinced as Lana had that the Hero of Legend was always meant to marry the Princess of Hyrule.

"Yeah… he was," said Romani simply, without questioning why Volga had asked that. "And that's the story of the Romani Ranch sisters. Pretty pathetic, isn't it?"

"Not as pathetic as my own," said Volga, going back to his straw bed and lying down.

"Wait a minute," said Romani, who strode over to Volga's bed. "Now you tell me your story, Mr. Dragonfly!"

"Can't hear you," said Volga with a surprising sass.

"You jerk!" shouted Romani before leaving the barn to Volga. He smiled as he began to fall asleep, even while wearing all of his armor.

* * *

Volga awoke to the smell of smoke all around the barn. He feared the worst, that it had to have been him who caused it in his sleep. He rolled out of bed and grabbed the spear he had kept near him in the case of such a need arising. He looked all around him for the source of the smoke, but there were no flames within his sight.

He quickly ran through the door of the barn to see what was happening. To his shock, there was a fire at the edge of the field. He couldn't wrap his head around what could've possibly been the source, and was still put at edge by the fact that he could feel the coldness of the air around him.

"You blasted fool!" shouted Cremia's husband. He had run from the house which stood adjacent to the barn and immediately begun to accuse Volga of the flames. "I knew we couldn't trust you from the start!"

"It wasn't him, moron!" shouted Romani. Volga turned to see the girl, running from the house with a bow and a quiver of arrows slung on her back. "They're back! Oh, dear, not again! Not after all these years!" Volga ran to her side. He noticed that the flames were not spreading across the fields, and suspected one culprit.

"Who are they?" he asked fiercely, before a shovel smacked him in the back of the head, knocking him to the floor. His helmet protected against any serious damage, but the surprise of the attack hadn't quite left him.

"Don't go on about tha' crap again, Romani!" shouted the farmer as Cremia ran to meet them. "It's him whose done it, just like he almost burned the barn down his first night here!"

"No!" shouted Romani. "Dragonfly wouldn't do something like that! It's just like it was ten years ago, except they brought a fire to keep us from escaping! Look at that light!"

Volga stood back on his feet, but the farmer took another swing at him with the shovel. Volga caught it in his hands and threw it away from him. "I'd listen to the girl, foolish human." There was indeed a bright light glowing in the sky, almost like the sun, but it didn't bring a warm light. "Tell me who they are."

"They used to come every year before the festival and abduct our cows before Grasshopper and I fended them off! It's been ten years, but I guess they have power to fight again! They're off-schedule though… it's not for another two weeks that we'll have the festival again!" Romani was adamant in her ridiculous claim. Cremia seemed to believe her, however.

"I always wondered why you never brought it up again after that year…" said Cremia, as her husband continued to curse at them. "I thought you'd just grown out of it." Glowing eyes appeared at the edge of the field where they stood. Volga knew these creatures must have been summoned by Majora's power. They approached the barn where the cows slept slowly.

"I'm not responsible," said Volga, readying his spear. "But I know what is."

Cremia's husband cursed at him once again. "You think that we care what you believe? Come Cremia, we're leaving this cursed farm." The eyes continued to get closer. Romani had let an arrow fly at one of the creatures. It hit right between the eyes and the creature burst into flames.

"I'm not leaving my sister," said Cremia defiantly. "And I won't leave my Ranch. Not after everything we've done to keep it going!"

"We can leave _my_ ranch and come back tomorrow when hell has stopped, Cremia!" shouted her husband, before he shook his head and ran off without her anyways. Volga charged at the creatures who continued their advance towards the barn.

The lighted eyes of Them found themselves upon the fleeing form of Cremia's husband, before they closed in on him. His blood sprayed in their eyes as they ripped him apart.

"No!" shouted Cremia, before she collapsed to the earth. "Not… what'll we do now?"

Volga could tell she was more worried about the farm than she was about the life of her husband. So what Romani had claimed was true. There was no love in that marriage, only profitability. He stuck one of the creatures with his spear and it too burst into flames as Romani's victim had.

"Protect your sister!" shouted Volga. "I'll take care of the rest!"

"No, don't do this!" shouted Romani. "You don't know them like I do! They're a lot worse than they were before! Last time they just ignored us and took the cows!"

"That's why you need to protect your sister!" shouted Volga, taking another of the fiends down. "Don't worry about me!" Even without his flames, Volga was managing to put up as much of a fight as possible against this foe. A few times over, he had tried and failed to use his fire to burn them, but it didn't stop his spear from finding homes in the stomachs of his ugly foes.

Romani listened to Volga, staying close to her sister and letting arrow after arrow kill each of her targets. She was truly talented with her bow.

Each of Them seemed to be as dangerous as one of the captains in an enemy army, and there were much more of them around. Volga killed each target with a single blow, but his fatigue was returning. It was apparent that he hadn't actually made a full recovery from his injuries. Or rather, the enemy was draining his power along with his own use.

"Uraaaghhhh!" shouted Volga trying to breath his fire against a group of them, but very little flame escaped. He took his spear and attempted to cut each one down, but they continued to suck his energy dry. The sun was almost up in the sky.

Volga felt the last bit of his energy escape, and he fell to the ground. Just as one of Them reached a clawed hand to deliver a killing blow, it burst into flames. Several of the others around him similarly burst into the blue flames as Romani's arrows pierced them.

The first rays of the sun broke over the mountain top and the rest of Them began to flee and the fires around the Ranch began to disperse. Volga felt his consciousness fade away into the morning.

He opened his eyes to the sight of Romani crying over his body. He hadn't been knocked out for very long, based on the fact that the sun was still crawling over the mountains, but it had been long enough for Romani to worry about him.

"What are you crying about, girl?" asked Volga, wanting no sympathy.

"You're such an idiot!" she cried wrapping her arms around him. Cremia was also standing over his form, tears streaming from her eyes.

"What do we do now?" said Cremia again, still lost in what she could possibly do for her family in the future. "How will we make it?"

"I… owe you now, don't I?" Volga spoke up. He looked at Romani, who had released her grip on the dragon warrior. "Now there's two people I owe my life to. How to make that work, I don't know."

Volga rested for the rest of the day on the couch in the Romani home. When he awoke the next day, Romani had prepared a baked cucco breakfast for him. "You looked so hungry when you were looking at them before…"

Volga had resigned himself to tell the sisters his true objective in Termina. "Go get your sister." He easily wolfed down the cucco and the eggs that were prepared with it.

Romani reappeared with her sister in the room where Volga had slept. "Did you want to leave us now?" asked Cremia. Volga wondered if she had even bothered to begin mourning her husband.

"I have no desire to leave you," said Volga, specifically referring to the girl he owed his life to. "But I have a debt that must be paid to the Sorceress I came to this land with."

"Oh, a sorceress, huh?" sighed Romani. "I knew there had to be some _one_."

"Heh, it's not like that," said Volga, as he begun to explain how Lana had saved his life in Hyrule in a time separate from their own. He told them about Vaati and the Mask, how it must've been responsible for the reappearance of Them. He explained his goal of going to the Stone Tower Temple and the Fierce Deity's Mask.

"…as you can see, you have no business in travelling with me," finished Volga resolutely.

"Ugh, you moron," interjected Romani. " _This is our world!_ I have all the business in the world riding with you to Stone Tower Temple. Cremia can handle the Ranch for a few days until we save the world, right?"

"…That's right," said Cremia, forcing herself to smile. "The Bombers Society will be more than happy to help me out, I'm sure. I'll just say that Romani'll consider Jim's proposal, and I'm sure they'll come round."

"Genius, sister!" shouted Romani. "So, Dragonfly, when do we leave?

 **Fear not, my readers. Next update will be a continuation of the story from LANA's perspective. You'll finally see what exactly was going on in her mind after Link planted one on her.**


	12. Chapter 12: Finding Clarity

**Once again, credit goes to kazury147 for getting me off my lazy butt with a PM about how I need to start writing again. Let me begin by saying it was a crazy few months. I work at a retailer, the biggest electronic one of all, in fact. From Black Friday on, it was a living hell. I was worked to death. It sucked.**

 **Apart from that, I've also been working on my own original work titled Gale's Locket. It's a four book series I've recently outlined and started writing. So there's been little time to write, and the few moments where I had time enough to write, I had major writer's block. Kazury147 sent me a PM about how I should write again… like two days ago. Before that, all I had written was the first sentence. I busted this out over the last two days for you guys, so I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Lana laid in her tent, alone. The day before had been the greatest, most enjoyable day she had ever gotten to live. Now she was living in the worst day she could possibly imagine, swallowed with her guilt at pretending to interfere with fate.

 _I could've just left him alone,_ she thought, letting her tears drip on the pillow where she rested her head. _I didn't think he'd actually kiss me._ She thought again of the kiss, which rejuvenated her tears, and made her heart soar.

"No…" she tried to tell herself quietly. "I can't. I can't be with him. He has his destiny…" _and I have mine._ She had been expecting another nightmare to control her dreams, but even in the swamps near the Deku palace, she found that sleep was her own. Cia hadn't made another appearance as she had been expecting.

"LANA!" shouted Proxi from outside the tent in her tiny voice. "We're meeting right now. They found who they were looking for!"

Lana quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and cast a charm over them to reduce the redness and the swelling. She didn't want anyone to know what she was feeling, even at this time when the last Moon's Tear was barely within reach.

She pulled the door of her tent to reveal the outside. The stink of the swamp filled her nostrils with the smell of moss and gunk. The water which flowed in the stream nearby was clear and somewhat shallow, though not so shallow that a boat couldn't sail over it. She stood tall and walked through the slimy undergrowth towards a fire which had been set by Link earlier. It was getting close to nighttime.

Around the fire were a few guards who had come with them from Clock Town, Kafei, who was wearing light armor, though none which covered his handsome face, and standing in his green attire, a look of sheer bravery across his face, was Link. The goron army snored in piles all around them, at which sound, Lana cast a small charm around the fire which would keep it silent apart from all spoken words, the same which she had cast around her tent.

"Thanks!" said Link, smiling at her widely. It made Lana avert her eyes, however strongly she wanted to look at his. "You know, for the… charm." Their trek into the swamp had been equally difficult for the both of them.

Neither of them knew how they could treat each other now that they had shared such a close moment together. Lana wanted everything to go back to how it was before: her longing stares, her constant blushing at his very appearance, and the sheer jealousy of Zelda's destiny. Walking with him wasn't as pleasant as it had been before. Every time he began to speak, she'd change the subject. She avoided Proxi at all costs. She didn't want to ruin his fate along with the destiny of Hyrule.

The Hero of Winds, the Hero Between Worlds, the Hero of the Past, and even the Skyward Hero had all joined with the previous incarnations of Zelda across time. She hadn't quite found whatever happened to the Hero of Time after his abrupt departure from Hyrule, nor had she the time to see if the Hero of Twilight ever found his own bride, but she assumed all must've lead to the same destined Princess.

Now, the Hero of the War Across the Ages. Before this rip in time and fate caused by Vaati and the Mask, his own betrothal to Zelda was practically certain. Lana had even begun making plans for what she would wear at the wedding, given there would've been one. Would have. If she hadn't interfered so severely with time itself.

Link looked at her with that same longing look he'd had since their moment in Kafei's office. Of course, Kafei had no knowledge of what had transpired, or at least, no one had told him. When Lana reached the circle, she saw a new face she hadn't before seen, one that was familiar as anyone who'd ever gotten too lost in the Lost Woods of Hyrule. It was a Skull Kid.

He had a face like straw, a pointed hat to imitate a warlock's, and clothing made of leaves crudely sown together. Upon her approach to the fire, the Skull Kid leapt at her and began sniffing wildly. His nose was dangerously close to her skirt. "You don't smell anything like I've ever smelt before!" said the boy, ceasing his insufferable sniffing. "Nice to meet you!" He giggled wildly before retreating back by Kafei, whose look of sheer determination defined his will to protect his beloved family from evil.

"You haven't any idea how difficult it was to find this child," said Kafei, without acknowledging Lana's discomfort at being sniffed. "If there's anyone in Termina who knows how evil that Mask is, it's him. He's responsible for basically all the havoc that Mask caused in the first place."

"Woah, now," started the Skull Kid, speaking through his obviously fake beak. "All I did was put it on—after stealing it—and then I was as much a victim as everyone else!" He started to back out of the circle towards the darkening woods.

"Hold your horses, buddy," said Kafei, grabbing the child by his straw-like arm. "We're not here to imprison you. We want your help."

"I'm not going to find anything for you if that's what you—!"

"Actually, I want something else," said Lana, breaking her silence amid the cracking fire. All eyes averted to her, including Link's, though she avoided eye contact. "I want you to tell us exactly how the Mask works. Anything else we can find easy by ourselves." She dared to sneak a glance at Link. "We've done plenty of that before." She snickered at the thoughts of the adventure they'd had until that point.

The Skull Kid stood in silence, as if he were living in a far off world. Kafei released his grip on the child's arm, no longer feeling his pulling and tugging to get away from them.

"I…" started the child. He looked at his gloved hands, struggling to get the words out. "I don't want to remember." There was no longer a playful look in his eyes, nor was there any indication of laughter in his tone.

Lana walked towards him, hushing the murmurs of the soldiers who were still with them. "You don't have to remember," said Lana, crouching to look him in the glowing eyes, "if you don't want to. Tell us in the morning if you want to or not. Just remember one thing, though. If we can know how this Mask works, if we can find out more about it, we might be able to destroy it once and for all. Forever."

Skull Kid began to back away again. Kafei reached at him to keep him from escaping, but Lana stilled his hand. "If you want to tell us, you can come back in the morning. If not, we'll try our best without your help."

Skull Kid ran from their circle upon hearing he was free to do so. Lana remained crouching, waiting for the chastisement that was bound to come from Kafei. She closed her eyes, bracing for it.

"Why in Termina—?"

"We don't keep prisoners," said Link, coming to her defense before Kafei's tone grew harsh. "At least, not anyone who hasn't done anything wrong."

"That's right!" said Proxi, annoying as always. "He didn't do anything wrong! He was just as victimized as you were when he turned you into a child!"

"I have a hard time believing that," said Kafei. "I'm sure he was in full control of how the Mask's power was used at first. He laughed when he turned me into a child. I don't even know why he did so. Humiliation, probably." Kafei walked away from them, the soldiers following suit. Lana felt uncomfortable at the idea that Skull Kid wouldn't return in the morning, and how they'd have to go in blind once again.

She turned around, standing straight up to face her hero. "Th-thanks," she stammered. She felt the butterflies inside her trying to lurch her forward to meet his lips once again, as she knew it was now in her power to do so. "I…"

"Lana, will you just calm down already?" said Proxi. "Stop acting as if the world is gone! Link is in l—!"

Quick as a flash, Proxi was captured in a bottle in Link's hands. She glowed furiously against the glass, but her tiny voice couldn't be heard from the inside of it. "Sorry about her," said Link. "She's pretty angry at you." The fire let out a spurt and crackle of sparks nearby.

"…How did they catch him?" asked Lana, trying to avoid the giant, fire-breathing Dodongo in the room. "Was it… bad?" She wanted to go back to how it was.

"Kafei sent a squad into the woods to look for him," said Link. "I didn't go with them. I didn't like the idea of catching a child to force him to help us."

"I hope I did the right thing," said Lana. "I've been feeling really guilty lately, it helps to do something nice, ya know?" She looked at her supple hands, twiddling her fingers. "I'm so sorry… about everything. For telling you that… that I love you."

"It's… fine," said Link, clearly not okay with her apology. "Just…" He rubbed his head shyly, trying to come up with a response.

"Let's just go back to how we were before. You don't belong with me, and I've interfered enough with your life. When we get back to Hyrule, just go back to Zelda, okay? Forget about me, go back to your life as Hyrule's general."

"Lana, I don't love that life," said Link. "Anything about it. Living life in a castle? Being told or telling others what to do every day?"

Lana thought about the other heroes who had married the Princesses. She pictured their lives following them all in her head. The Hero of Winds. He never had to stay in a castle or lead an army. He never had to worry about who said what to him. He continued to sail the seas with Tetra/Zelda, living a life of freedom to go where he pleased. Wherever he desired the winds to take him.

"I…" she started. She thought of the Skyward Hero. He lived his life in the skies, soaring with his new Princess. Together they built a Kingdom, meant to protect the Triforce. Though he had his responsibilities, he continued to fly free on his loftwing with his beloved.

Again, back to the Minish Hero. In his era, Hyrule was much different, a land of peace, not one of war. Even being raised by a blacksmith, he was able to be raised alongside, equally, with the Princess. Upon their marriage, nothing truly changed. He continued his adventures, building relationships among the picori and the Hyruleans. He continued to explore.

She could no longer believe it was Link's fate to be a general, not when evidence across all the centuries pointed to him being an adventurer, a romantic, someone who went wherever the winds carried him. Not to wherever the Princess told him. It's what she admired so much about his spirit. It's what she loved about the man standing in front of her.

"We can't…" she stated. "Just… I think it'll get better with Zelda, okay? Maybe you won't have to be her general or whatever. Maybe she'll let you continue having adventures, right? And maybe… if she doesn't…" She trailed off in impossible thoughts before Link finished her statement.

"I'll know where to find you," he sighed, defeated by her resilience.

Lana nodded, a small tear leaking from her eye. She reached to wipe it away, but not before Link's own gloved hand did it for her. She left him standing by the fire alone with the bottled Proxi, who had given up her furious shaking and was now slumped against the glass.

She bolted to her tent, but was shocked when she saw Kafei blocking the entrance. She was prepared for the worst and opened her mouth to confront him before he held up his hand.

"No, I'm not here to talk about the Skull Kid," said Kafei quickly. "What's done is done, and I was slightly foolish to try and take him as an unarmed prisoner. And then lying about it. We need to talk about you."

Lana was again surprised at the apparent care Kafei had. "What about me? I'm fine!" She flashed an entirely false smile to prove it.

"You can't fool me, little bird," said Kafei holding the tent flap open for her. "You've got a mad look in your eye."

"Uh, can't we talk outside at least?" questioned Lana, pondering his motives.

"If you insist. But, if you please, make sure no one else can hear us speak. Link doesn't need to hear any of this."

Lana began to fear that Kafei was a cheating two-timer trying to use her for side action. She cast the charm regardless, enhancing it so that no voices could even be heard from the outside.

"Thank you," he said, allowing the tent flap to close and seating himself in the muck beneath them. "Really wanted to keep these clothes clean, but I've been standing for quite a while. What are you going to do about your obvious romantic issues?"

Lana flushed red, misinterpreting his question as being directed at himself as the object of her passion. "I'd find a toad for a spouse before considering your slime!"

Kafei looked slightly taken aback before he heartily laughed, throwing his head back. "No, no, no, girl, not for me!" He stopped laughing and looked again at the Sorceress. "For that hero over there. You've clearly been smitten with him for quite a long time, wouldn't you say?"

Now Lana was the one who was taken aback. "How did you—?"

"I've been married for over ten years, and before that I had to fall in love myself, you know. Finding my own bride wasn't exactly easy."

"So how do you think you can help me get over him?"

"Bah, you can't fool me. You don't want to, and neither does he. It surprises me that you two haven't already sealed the deal with a kiss." Lana flushed a deeper red than before. "Oh my," he started laughing once again. "Is that why you two lingered in my office before you came sprinting out? Who was it? Who started it?" Lana's eyes instinctively averted towards the fire where Link still stood. "Him? Wow, I never thought he'd have it in him! Which leads me to my next question: Why are you coming back to your tent alone?"

Lana almost burst into a commotion at this latest implication. But again, Kafei cut her off before she could get all the right words out. "No, not like that! I mean you two should be cuddling next to the fire, having a nice chat before he walks away from your tent upon making sure you arrived okay.

"You should be leaning on his arm all the day long, laughing at the jokes he says when they're not even funny, but to you they are, because he said them. I can tell you've been in love with him as long as you have known him, so isn't this your dream come true? Why are you ruining it?" Kafei seemed to have gotten what he wanted to say out on the table. Lana felt it safe to try speaking again.

"I know you love Anju. Imagine if you had to marry someone else, it was like, fate or something. If you didn't marry the other girl, oh… I dunno. Maybe if you didn't marry her, the entire town just blew up one day? Even if you loved someone else?"

Kafei seemed to consider this for a second. "You said maybe it would blow up?"

Lana was slightly annoyed at his attention to detail. "Yeah, sure, maybe."

"I'd marry Anju."

"What if it would definitely blow up?"

"I'd marry Anju. If the town blows up because of it, so be it. If something as fickle as my love and marriage really has such an impact on the combustibility of the town, the citizens are better off living somewhere else."

Lana couldn't think of a retort. "That's how it is with me, but like, multiply your town into all time," said Lana. "If Link marries me, that could ruin everything across time."

"I highly doubt that," said Kafei. "Unless of course the two of you became legendary villains torturing the souls of men and women across all time, I don't buy it."

Lana blinked rapidly trying to process his reply. He was seriously pissing her off, though only because he made more sense than all of her thoughts the past day. "But… fate," she started.

"Fate? What the hell is fate?" asked Kafei, standing from the muck to look Lana in the eyes. "Fate is a word made up by fools trying to justify their actions. Destiny is a lie for people who can't think of a good reason for something happening. You think the goddesses were cruel enough to force a life upon us? A life we cannot change?"

"What do you suggest I do then?" asked Lana furiously as he challenged the very core of her beliefs.

"Go back to him, right now. Kiss him if you have to. Make it right. Even if he does go and marry someone else, do you think you'll ever regret the time you spend with him now?"

Again his words made more sense than her own thoughts. Which made her angry. And hopeful. And even more confused that she hadn't thought of this before. She walked away from his smirking face, all the way back to the fire. Link had released Proxi, who was fuming and lecturing him like no tomorrow.

When Proxi caught sight of her, she flew right to her face and began her own lecture. Lana materialized a bottle out of nowhere, encasing Proxi once again. She didn't say a word as she walked to Link.

He shyly smiled at her, waiting for her to make it to him. She approached him, and she taunted him a bit with her smile, now knowing that he liked it. But, she was still fuming at Kafei. She grabbed Link's arm and tugged him closer to the fire.

With a simple wave of her hand, two clear boxes materialized out of thin air, close enough to the fire to catch its warmth. She sat first and waited for Link to sit with her. The boxes were attached to each other. When Link sat down, she wrapped her arms around him and held her head against his shoulder, allowing the warmth of the fire to swallow them. The charm she had cast earlier continued to block out the snoring of the gorons, and she sat peacefully with her hero.

"Talk," said Lana, mesmerized by the dancing flames. Link reached his arm around her shoulder and held her closer. He began to talk into the night, though it wasn't long before he could no longer think of the words to say. It was fine, however, as Lana had enough words to fill the night.

* * *

 **In all honesty, this chapter took an unexpected turn, even for me. Originally, I didn't plan on that kind of closure happening for a while, but when I knew that Kafei was the kind of man who'd give Lana a talking to, I knew what had to be done. Fear not, however, for the drama is not yet done. But our story is slowly nearing its end.**


	13. Chapter 13: The Skull Kid

**Sorry this took so long, everyone. I kept having writer's block over and over and actually had to rewrite this chapter after thinking it was stupid. That and a new job has been keeping me busy as I've ever been. But I promised you that I'd bring you another chapter! And don't worry, I'm going to bring more a lot sooner than ten months next time. It'll be like a month at most hopefully. Maybe shorter. I still plan on editing all the chapters to ensure better quality, so keep your eyes open!**

 **Thank you all so much for bearing with me through this! I didn't mean to leave it for so long!**

* * *

Lana sat up from her cot, which she had enchanted to feel more like a feathery mattress. Link had brought her back to her tent when she fell asleep by the fire. She looked at the flap in her tent which had been resealed to protect her from the weather. _I wonder if he's up yet,_ she wondered blissfully.

She reached for the flap and undid it so she could see outside. The sun was barely creeping over the horizon, but most of its light was blocked by the trees and vegetation that made up the canopy. The fire had been extinguished, so Lana walked back to it and restarted it with a few sparks. The air around them was chilling and surprisingly murky.

As the fire spurted back to life, Lana looked around at the rest of the campsite. A few Gorons had woken up and were trekking into the swamplands to attempt to find food. It isn't common that a Goron has to try so hard to find food, as their diets consist solely of rocks. But here in the swamp, rocks are an oddity.

None of the commanders, including Link, had come out of their tents yet. Only Lana sat by the fire, her stomach growling with hunger. She looked deep into the fire as she remembered the night before.

 _Lana was leaning up against Link's arm, trying to press herself against his lean muscles. She'd never felt this kind of happiness before, though she had imagined it happening often. "Link… I need to ask you something," she started._

 _"Hm?" responded Link calmly._

 _"So…" she began. The words were hard to find. "Why did you kiss me?"_

 _Lana felt Link's arms stiffen and heard him gulp as she finished the question. It was way more personal a question than he hoped to answer, she could tell. "I…" he started. "I wanted to know how it would feel."_

 _"Well, I hope that it was fun for you," teased Lana, obviously hinting that that answer wasn't enough._

 _Link didn't know what love was supposed to feel like, so he hadn't really considered that to be what he was feeling. "I couldn't stop thinking about you. Your smile. Your laugh. Or how it felt to kiss your forehead. I started to get worried about what would happen when we finish this."_

 _"You mean…" Lana began to realize, "you thought I was going to run off again if you didn't do anything." She sighed deeply and held his arm tighter. "I need to ask you something else."_

 _Link remained silent, though not in a preparatory kind of way. Lana could tell he had no idea what she was going to ask him, and even she didn't think it was fair of her to ask. "Do… do you love me?"_

 _The fire cackled and spit. Link remained silent for a few moments as Lana watched the flames dance around the logs. They had been slowly getting dimmer. "I don't know what that feels like," answered Link finally._

 _"What about Zelda?" Lana had to ask._

 _"Definitely not," chuckled Link. "Whatever I felt for her…" he paused for a long time before continuing, "wasn't as strong as whatever it is I'm feeling for you." Lana felt a weight lift free from her chest, but she also felt anxiety about what she had done._

 _She couldn't remember quite when it began, nor could she remember when it stopped. But she remembered his firm lips caressing her own soft ones. Unlike the first one, which was over far too quickly, this one lasted as long as they had wanted. The anxiety she felt was replaced again by the love she had felt so strongly for him for so long. All that mattered to her in that moment was pleasing him as much as he was pleasing her._

Lana continued staring into the fire when the sound of a flute made her jump. She looked for the source and saw him at the edge of the swamp's tree line. It was the Skull Kid, with a flute to his… beak thing. Was it a beak or was it just a kind of little mask to cover his real mouth? It didn't matter. He was beckoning her to follow him into the swamp's trees.

Lana looked around to see if the coast was clear. She doubted after yesterday's actions that the Skull Kid would be willing to trust anyone but her. Seeing that none of the other commanders had come out of their tents, she ran to the edge to meet the child, but as she came closer, he went farther in. She hesitantly followed him into the swamp.

Though he wasn't waiting up for her, Skull Kid always remained within her line of vision. It wasn't difficult for her to keep up with him. He continued to wait for her at every stopping point before moving farther along. The swamp was slimy. Every step squelched under her feet, and more and more, Lana wished that she had brought clothing that would cover her up more. The smell alone would be ungodly. And when she got back, she would have to face Link with her newfound odor.

Eventually, Lana started to hear music faintly. It was the sound of a dozen brass instruments, but Lana could also tell that they weren't made of brass. The Deku were capable of producing brass-like sounds with their own anatomy.

The Skull Kid stopped at a poorly constructed wall near the rear of the palace Lana assumed they were coming upon. When Lana finally reached the leafy wall, Skull Kid opened his mouth to speak. Or rather, she thinks he opened his mouth behind the beak-like thing he had on his face. "The Swamp here is worse than it ever has been before."

"Worse than what you did to it?" asked Lana, immediately feeling slightly guilty for bringing it up.

"Yes," he said, without making any indication that what she said bothered him. "Before, all I did was poison the water. Nobody really got hurt… well… I mean…" Lana remembered the Butler. He had an innocent son who ran into the Skull Kid shortly after he first obtained Majora's Mask.

"That wasn't you," said Lana, trying to reassure him. "That was just the Mask, you know?"

"It didn't control me that much, yet," said Skull Kid, refusing to make eye contact with Lana. His straw-like legs were shaking uncontrollably. Lana bent down to place a hand on his shoulder, but he shoved it away. "Whatever, that's not important anymore."

He turned towards the huge fortress that housed the majority of the Deku. "See… after the Mask came back, everyone here got sick. Like, when I got it, I poisoned the water. But… that weird purple guy came and poisoned the plants. Deku scrubs are part plants, you know."

Lana looked all around her and finally noticed what was so off about their surroundings. Although everything was still moist, many of the trees and plants were turning brown and dying. It was a dreadful sight, Lana could barely contain her gasp before Skull Kid placed a hand on her mouth. "Shhh," he began. "The Deku are… they don't trust anyone right now. If they see us, they might try to kill us."

"Has it really gotten that bad?" asked Lana in a whisper. He peeked around a corner of the wall and saw two Deku Scrubs guarding an entry. They also had leaves on their heads, but they were starting to look decayed. They looked as though they couldn't possibly fight back.

"Ever since the Mask came back," said Skull Kid, pulling Lana back around. "I think it's the Tear thing the Princess has. It's been here a really long time, so nobody thought it could be bad. But just like three weeks after the Mask came back… the Deku King suddenly got sick and-and died."

The words hit Lana deeply. Another pointless death in Termina because of this cursed Mask? She began to fear that she had waited far too long to do anything about it. Even more, Cia's laugh started to echo in her head. All of this was her own fault. "He died?"

"Yeah," said Skull Kid. "And since then the Princess also got sick. I tried to take the Tear from them, but they tried to burn me." He looked up at Lana with his deep, black eyes. "Can you take it from them?"

"That's why we're here," said Lana. She could see her purple eyes reflect off of his own as she crouched down to his eye-level. "And we're not just going to destroy that Tear. We're gonna destroy that Mask once and for all." His face remained emotionless, but she could tell it meant the world to him.

"Are your friends nice?" asked Skull Kid. He started to walk back into the Swamp as Lana followed. "The green guy reminds me of one of my best friends in the world. He was so nice to me. And his smell always reminded me of home." Lana contained her chuckle as she looked around them. Now that she was looking for it, the trees and plants were noticeably dying all around them. The air was unnaturally muggy.

"Of course they're nice," said Lana, trying to act cheerful. "The green guy is the nicest, sweetest guy in the world!" She meant it when she said it, and her voice nearly cracked as she finished. "But that purple-haired guy… I don't know about him."

Skull Kid looked up at her with a tinge of worry in his black eyes. "Oh!" said Lana, trying to repair Kafei's reputation. "No, I don't mean it like that! He only… he only did that to you because… well…"

"I remember," said Skull Kid, looking away from her again. He ran up to a small Deku Flower. "How d'ya think they fit inside these things?"

Lana could tell he didn't want to talk about Kafei. But she also wanted Skull Kid to stay with them, and for that to happen, she had to be honest. This wasn't the kind of child who could trust as easily as most. Not after everything he did.

"I have no idea," said Lana, prodding at the flower when she reached it. This particular flower was stark in contrast to the rest of the Swamp around them. It was pink and blooming, unlike its dying surroundings. She knew it could only last so long before it too would begin to decay. "Look, Kafei might not trust you."

Skull Kid ran farther ahead into the Swamp, towards Lana's camp. Lana sprinted to catch up to him, but it was exhausting in this air. She tried to take deep breaths, but it was almost like inhaling water. When she finally caught up to where he was heading, she stopped. He was standing at the base of a massive tree. It reminded her of the Great Deku Tree that she had once made a base at.

"W-where didja find th-this?" panted Lana between breaths.

"It's not hard to find, you know," said Skull Kid. They weren't so far away from their camp now, but it still surprised Lana that she hadn't noticed this tree before. "But this is my home now. I can't live anywhere else." As he said these words, two fairies flew from the branches of the trees and began to hover next to him. One of them was a deep purple and the other was a glowing white, almost like Proxi, but without a shade of blue.

"We were so worried!" shouted the white one. "You idiot, don't go getting caught like that!"

"Sister!" shouted the purple one. "Don't be so mean to him! I'm sure he was really scared!"

"Tael, stop babying him! He was being irresponsible!"

"Tatl, what was he supposed to do?"

"Uh, maybe not bring one of the enemy to where we live?"

"Well, he brought her, can we at least trust his judgment a little bit?"

"Sure, the kid who almost dest—I mean, the kid who… you know what I mean!"

Lana watched the two fairies bicker until it began to make her laugh. "What's so funny?" the fairy known as Tatl flew to her face and began shaking. "Dumb, blue-haired weirdo."

Lana almost fell to her knees laughing because these fairies were so different than any she'd ever met before. Usually fairies were unnaturally helpful little creatures, many times being more of a nuisance than useful. These two were anything but a nuisance. They were… caring. Like siblings.

"I-I just never met fairies like you before!" said Lana, trying to wave Tatl away from her face. "I mean, I knew you were always pretty rude to Link, but I didn't know it got this bad!"

Her comment about Link really set Tatl off before her brother calmed her down. "You—! How—! I—! You know Link?"

Lana continued to chuckle. "Yes, I know _of_ Link. My friend at camp," she paused at the word _friend_ , "is very much like him. You could almost say they're the same person."

Skull Kid finally came up to Lana while Tatl and Tael went away to discuss something. Lana thought they were probably arguing some more about whether or not Lana could actually know the Hero of Time.

"The mayor guy doesn't trust me?"

Lana hesitated to answer. "No, I don't think he will for a long time. But that doesn't mean I don't! And Link will trust you, too!"

Skull Kid looked over at the arguing fairies. "I don't like grown-ups very much. When I saw the purple-haired guy for the first time, he was getting married or something. And… that's just such a grown-up thing to do. I didn't like it, so I turned him into a kid, like me. That was mean."

"If you don't like grown-ups so much, why did you ever trust me?"

"You still act a lot like a kid," chuckled Skull Kid. Lana blushed heavily and indignantly. "See?"

"I-I do not!" shouted Lana. "I just… acting so 'mature' all the time is boring!"

"Tee hee hee!" laughed Skull Kid. "Tatl! Tael! She's really nice!" The two bickering fairies ceased their arguing and flew back over to them. "I want her help to save the Deku Princess."

"Ugh," sighed Tatl. "As if one girl is gonna help. Sorry, lady, but unless you can take on an army of Deku, I don't think there's much you can do."

"I don't plan on solving this with violence," said Lana. "I think we can get the Deku to talk to us."

"Wait, how can you do that?" asked Tael. He flew close to his sister. "They've never negotiated with outsiders before."

"We'll think of something. Now, will you just come with me?" Lana was trying to be patient, but it had been a while since she had seen Link, and she was worried about how she would smell when she did. "We're not going to hurt you."

Skull Kid looked at his fairy companions. "I want to… but I'm scared without you guys," he said.

"Well, fine," sighed Tatl. "When you two decide on something, there's not much I can do to stop you."

"Sis, it'll be fine," said Tael. "As long as he's got us, nothing bad should happen. Didn't you know that we fairies are pretty lucky?"

* * *

Lana made it back to the campsite with Skull Kid and his two fairies in tow. She was hoping beyond hope that Link would still be in his tent, but alas, he was waiting by the fire. Proxi was floating close by. Lana tried sneaking away to the river to cleanse herself, but Link looked up before she could make it unseen. "Where've you been?" he exclaimed, moving quickly towards her.

"I… uhh," stammered Lana as he approached her. The feeling of his lips was still fresh on her mind, but she worried about if she'd ever feel them again at this rate.

"Lana, I—" There it was. The smell reached him, didn't it? Oh, no. She couldn't bear to look at him. "Lana, is that… you found him?"

Lana paused for breath. Link didn't seem to notice that she smelled terrible. "Y-yeah, I did. Actually, he found me…" Lana looked behind Link and noticed that Kafei was coming towards them. And with a surprise guest. "Gorman? What're you doing here?"

"They know," panted Gorman. He was dripping with sweat, and Lana noticed that he had blood staining his fine vest. It was hard to notice as his vest was red, but all the same he was bleeding pretty badly. "I only just made it here to tell you, but unless you already have that Tear, it'll be too late!"

"Gorman, what happened?" asked Lana, her voice shrill with worry.

"The enemy discovered that he was a spy," said Kafei calmly. "And they found out that the Deku Princess is holding the last Tear. They're on their way here right now."

Lana was trying to process all of this in her head. "Ready all of the troops!" shouted Lana. The Deku were in no position to defend themselves. If they didn't intervene, there was no hope of keeping the Tear from falling into Vaati's hands.

"Lana, they're ready," said Link. He was already wearing his chainmail and shoulder plate. The Master Sword was hanging on his back. "We were just considering how much longer we were going to wait for you before you showed up."

"You guys don't understand!" Lana summoned her Tome quickly to her side from her tent. She cast a spell over the group so they could see into her memories. She was careful to cut them off before they could see anything sensitive.

"The Deku are all… sick?" questioned Kafei. His look held deeper concern than it had before. "Well, then we can't wait any longer. We have to leave now!"

Before they could move from their spots, an evil laughter broke on their ears. "Ha ha ha! What fools!" Vaati's voice was heavy and dark. His breathing was irregular; Lana couldn't tell if he was out of breath or just enraged to the point of fatigue. "To think you could stop me! That Tear will be mine before you have time to consider the extermination of these foolish creatures!"

Lana summoned all of her strength and began to mutter a charm. She had been at the palace less than half an hour ago. They couldn't possibly have done much of anything to it yet. Her charm was placed around their goron troops. They all shouted with one collective and began to roll swiftly towards the palace.

"What was that?" asked Tatl in shock.

"I… I had to… I had to show them… everything," panted Lana. She used a large fraction of her power to enlighten the gorons to the situation. They would have to hold out before they could get there.

"But Lana—!" began Link.

"Link, just get out of here," panted Lana. She fell back onto the swamp floor. "They can do without me, but you can't stay behind." The gorons had also been immensely strengthened by her magic, but she was uncertain if it would be enough. Her power paled in comparison to the Mask's.

Link looked over her body lying on the swamp floor. He looked to the Skull Kid with his fairies. "You, look over her!" He looked back to Kafei. "And you come with me!" Kafei was slightly shocked at Link's sudden command, but he took to it. "Lana, I'll be back for you. Be safe!" With that, the hero took off running. The scarf Lana looked after flew from his shoulders.

Tatl and Tael caught the scarf and brought it to Lana. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Link running off with Kafei close behind him. She cast one last strengthening charm on her precious hero before her eyes had no more light.


End file.
